Postcard No. 3 – A Strawberry Outing
A Sunday that felt like summer and ripe strawberries in May.
Greetings friends! This will be the third piece in my “Postcard Series” of short format entries. While the topic deviates slightly from my usual repertoire, I feel that it is still highly relevant, as it describes an immersive experience that directly involves both natural and seasonal subjects. To reconnect with nature we must endeavor to participate in it. So please follow along, as we go for a drive into the countryside and pick some fresh ripe strawberries.
Sunday, May 17, 2026
The day began with an unexpected decision; throwing all the original plans out the window in favor of something a little outside of our normal routine. After a leisurely cup of coffee and a quick breakfast, we decide to take a Sunday drive. The goal; to finally go strawberry picking! As mentioned previously, I’ve been wanting to do this since I found out there were ripe strawberries available about two weeks ago (Going back further than that, I’ve been wanting to go berry picking for years and never managed it, so this has been a long time coming). Today, we are going to take advantage of this window of opportunity, as strawberry season is quite short (and there are only so many days in the weekend).
On Our Way
We’re driving with the windows down as we make our way out of the city, heading towards the Anderson Ferry, which will carry us across the Ohio River. It’s not fancy or grand in any way. One of those places you could drive right by and not know you had missed it, but it has an old-timey kind of charm that makes it memorable. According to their website, “The Anderson Ferry has been in continuous operation since 1817.”1 Admittedly, even at my age there is just something novel about taking a car ride over the water. Last time we were here, I even saw a Great Blue Heron at the river’s edge.
As we wait for the ferry to return from the opposite bank, I step out of the car to take some photos (I couldn’t resist!). There is a Red-winged Blackbird darting about, colorful wings flashing. The sun is blazing. The bright blue sky has barely any clouds. Not even noon and it’s already feeling like proper summertime weather. As the day went on, it continued to heat up. A high of 84°F is unseasonably warm for May, at least in my humble Connecticut-raised opinion, but it’s not terribly unusual for the Greater Cincinnati area.
Across at last, and we turn onto a country road that runs along the river. The scenery is slowly becoming more and more green as we continue to put distance between us and downtown. The clustered houses giving way to fields. It won’t be long now, another bend in the road, and we’re pulling up at the farm stand.
Strawberry Fields
The process for picking strawberries is simple. Collect your cardboard flat and off you go. We take our time, strolling down the farm lane, soaking up the countryside views. Immature fruit can be seen growing on the branches of dwarf peach and apple trees. Another picking season we should return for. A little further along, the deliciously sweet scent of ripe strawberries fills the air. Row upon row of plants stretch out before us. Where do you think the best spot might be?
We go all the way to the final row and the treasure hunt begins. I squat down to part the leaves of the first strawberry plant revealing brilliant red fruit, shining in the light of the sun. So many berries, gleaming like jewels, just waiting to be picked. I found three ripe ones almost immediately, we’re off to a good start.
Even though I wore a long sleeve linen shirt and a wide-brimmed hat to try to keep the sun off, the temperature rapidly became uncomfortable. Standing up and bending down really wasn’t helping either. By the end, I stood up too fast and nearly passed out (we were only there for like 30 minutes, but I am very sensitive). I had to take a nap when we got home to recover. That aside, we somehow managed to gather 3 lbs. worth of beautiful berries!
Icing on the Cake
The culmination of the day’s efforts; later that evening we macerated the strawberries and made drop biscuits from scratch. I feel compelled to mention that I managed to confuse “macerate”, with “masticate”2. SMH. 🤦♀️ However, I am not sorry to say that we ended up having strawberry shortcake for dinner. It was so delicious! And also just happens to be my favorite.
This day encapsulated the simple joy of eating fruit you picked yourself. A truly sensory experience. I haven’t gone strawberry picking since I was a child, so it was a bit nostalgic too. At the moment, I really cannot think of anything more “seasonal” than a perfectly ripe strawberry. They are nothing like the ones you get at the store, I promise.
I hope you enjoyed tagging along and that you may also partake in these short-lived gifts of spring! 🍓
“The simplest pleasures are sometimes the most extraordinary.”
– Edgar Allan Poe
If you liked reading “A Strawberry Outing“, then perhaps you would also be interested in some of my other “Postcard” entries:
Postcard No. 1 – Waiting for Rain
Postcard No. 2 – Watching the Evening Sky
Fresh strawberries compliments of McGlasson Farms in Hebron, Kentucky.
- Anderson Ferry – https://www.andersonferry.org/anderson_ferry_information.htm ↩︎
- Merriam Webster, “masticate” – a formal or medical term that simply means to chew, to grind, crush, or bite food with the teeth in preparation for swallowing. – https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/masticate
Dictionary.com, “macerate” – which is to soften or break down a solid (commonly fruit sprinkled with sugar) by soaking it in a liquid.
– https://www.dictionary.com/browse/macerate ↩︎