Do you see that strategically positioned fan? It's a conspiracy, folks.

So, you're rolling down the highway and see the roadside sign advertising local strawberries and decide to pick yourself up a quart or two. Then, you walk in and are bowled over by the sweet scent of berries being blown into your face by this sneaky little fan. Before you know it, you're walking out with a full flat of berries!

Yep, that's what happened to me last year. This year, I knew better than to think I'd get out of there with anything less than a flat. Once the kids had had a taste and declared, "Now THAT's what a strawberry is supposed to taste like!" they wanted to know why I didn't buy more! In fact, this year, I called out the nice man at the roadside stand, telling him that I was onto him and his fan conspiracy. He just gave me a sly wink.

Our own backyard berries will soon be ready for harvest, but they tend to come ripe by the handful each day. I like to buy berries by the flat so that I have large quantities to work with for jellies and such. This year, I'm trying a new-to-me recipe that is actually very old and was dictated to me by my Mamaw over the phone last night. I'll let you know how it turns out!

And, for those of you penny pinchers out there: yes, the sign says $4.00 a quart. Or, they sell for $30 a flat. If you think that's too steep a price to pay for the most delicious, locally grown berries known to mankind, you obviously haven't tried one! :) Feel free to stop by here and try one from our flat before you head south to pick up your own. But, you'd better get here quick because I've got jelly cooling on the stove, some sliced for tomorrow's salad, a frozen berry pie underway, and the kids are packing them away so fast they may develop tummyaches. Like their Momma, they can't resist a good strawberry!