In May, strawberry picking is one of the top activities on my “gotta get my kids out of the house” list.

Each year we try out a different local farm. This year, in the second year of Covid, there were less than a handful of farms still offering u-pick.

We ended up at LCCL Strawberry Farm in Rome, GA. We recommend it, even if you go just for the soft-serve ice cream. Delicious!

Now that two children can pick buckets full of berries, the amount we go home with is almost a burden.

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What’s a mom to do with four pounds of mushy berries? Neither listened to the guideline of picking from the stem; they pulled the juiciest part of the fruit.

We ate what we could—but they were going to go bad and quickly.

Here’s what we made from the mush:

1. Strawberry Mint Mocktails for Mom (yes, it would have been better with champagne).

I smashed a cup of strawberries, 10 leaves of mint, and a dash of sugar—mixed and poured S. Pellegrino on top. It was refreshing and easy.

2. Strawberry Jelly

We hulled and cut 3 pounds of strawberries, added 3 tablespoons of lime, the zest from 2 limes, and 1 cup of sugar. We boiled everything, then simmered for 25 minutes.

The jelly tasted best over ice cream—but what doesn’t?  

I adapted from Souffle Bombay’s Easy Strawberry Jam Recipe. (More strawberries. Less sugar).

3. Strawberry Breakfast Smoothie 

1 Banana

1 cup of mushy strawberries

1.5 cup of cherries

3 cups of Almond Milk

Strawberry Farms Near Chattanooga

Sims Farms in Ringgold, GA

Smith Perry’s Berries in Ooltewah, TN

Lamon Farms in Cleveland, TN is also offering U-Pick this season.

Books To Read

A day spent eating strawberries made me want to read Jamberry to my boys before bed. It was one of my favorites growing up, too!

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