After a cool and cloudy May, June has exploded with growth and harvests. For most of May, asparagus, greens and rhubarb were the only things we were pulling from the grounds. But with a shot of heat, rain, and sun, my other plants are catching up. The most anticipated (at least among my grandchildren) is the strawberry crop, which started to come in last week and now delivers at least 1/2 a pint of yummy, red, sweet berries each day.
Olivia is following in her sister’s footsteps by wanting to harvest fruit each morning she is with us. Her tiny basket and mischievous grin follows me to the garden gate in anticipation of ample pickings.
Juana helps me remove the bird and rodent netting from the patch exposing the budding strawberry plants and their ripening fruits. Olivia points to reddish berries wanting us to pick them and place them into her basket. We comply, but also guide her in carefully grabbing fruits within her reach. When we finish, she helps us replace the netting and we continue to search the garden for harvests.
