This is the first basket of strawberries from the garden. Both Joshua and Jaya are happy to assist in picking although the former eats almost as many as he picks and the latter is more into supervising. The first two baskets have generated gifts for three neighbours, two trays of frozen berries for the autumn, two school snack boxes for Joshua, two litres of ice cream and 2 kg of strawberry jam.
The Mrs is out on the lash tonight so making that jam and another batch of elderflower cordial was my way of entertaining the kids.
As a diabetic, now taking my condition very seriously, I cannot eat much of this other than fresh strawberries and the elderflower cordial and champagne is also off limits. But the labour involved in growing the strawberries, weeding and harvesting them while foraging for elderflowers is, I am sure, good for the weight as I target a 22 year low by the end of the summer. Tomorrow, more strawberry picking plus a stack of lawnmowing, weed clearing in the fields and weeding of a vegetable patch, increasingly paced with produce.
