It's difficult to believe as I sit here thawing from my daughter's lacrosse game, but Spring is coming! And with Spring comes strawberry season! There's no doubt that farm fresh berries beat the grocery store variety any day, especially when they are a recipe's star ingredient.
But where does one go to pick your own strawberries? Here in Birmingham, we are lucky to be within a short drive of multiple farms with u-pick options (scroll down for a list of them).
This Spring, pick a farm, grab those berries, and turn your bounty into something delicious.
Looking for a recipe to try? Here are a few from myself as well as other Itty Bitty Bakers' teachers:
Strawberry Madeleines (my recipe!)
Strawberry Shortcake Cookies by Melissa Carden
Strawberry Buttermilk Cake by Celeste Ward
Central Alabama U-Pick Farms:
Penton Farms
3358 County Road 5
Verbena, Alabama 36091
205-351-1480
Jerry Marsh Farms
234 Marsh Cutoff Rd.
Cleveland, AL 35049
205-681-8514
DeLoach Farms
171 Co Rd 468
Vincent, AL 35178
205-249-1297
J Durbin Farms
Sunshine Farms U-Pick Strawberry Field
11728 County Road 37
Clanton, AL 35045
205-280-0242
After strawberry season comes blueberry season, so there's always something to pick, bake with, and eat. Here's Melissa's recipe for Blueberry Crunch.
What's your favorite place to pick berries? Let us know in the comments!