Ripe red fruit draws the eye from beneath the sour cherry tree, and the farm team pauses for a post harvest snack. A mother robin sitting on her nest above is not happy about our temporary take over of her tree and squawks angrily, but stubbornly refuses to fly off. I ask John to grab a branch that is out of reach and pull it down for me so I can continue snacking (one of the many perks of having a tall brother). Later I spot a ripe strawberry hiding under a leaf that must have snuck through the flower pinching process. You’re supposed to remove the flowers in the first year to allow the plants to put their energy into establishing roots and leaves. However, when I taste this delectable berry, I find myself wishing we would have “forgotten” to pinch a few more. Oh my god! They are sooooo good! Summer snacking is back!
~Joy