Ari adores strawberries. He eats them daily… unless we are out of them. So it’s no wonder he’s been looking forward to making strawberry ice cream ever since September. (I refused to make it with him until strawberry season since I wanted the strawberries to be fresh and inexpensive. I mean, have you seen the price of strawberries recently?!?! They’ve been astronomical until a few weeks ago when the supply must have increased in the springtime!)
This morning’s weather was forecast was in the upper 60s so it was the perfect time for us to head to our favorite strawberry field for our farm-to-table adventure.
A timeline in pictures:
9:30 AM: First strawberry is picked.10:00 AM: Baskets are full.11:00 AM: Strawberries are washed with one part vinegar to three parts water to kill bacteria and mold spores.11:20 AM: Ice cream base is made and placed in the fridge.3:35 PM: Ice cream begins to churn.4:00 PM: Sampling begins.
I’ve never been a strawberry ice cream fan — until today. Apparently, it tastes delicious when the berries are picked the same day as the ice cream is churned and served!
Head over to Two Writing Teachers for more slice of life stories.
I am a literacy consultant who has spent the past dozen years working with teachers to improve the teaching of writing in their classrooms. While I work with teachers and students in grades K-6, I'm a former fourth and fifth-grade teacher so I have a passion for working with upper elementary students.
I'm the author of Craft Moves (Stenhouse Publishers, 2016) and the co-author of Jump Into Writing (Zaner-Bloser, 2021), Welcome to Writing Workshop (Stenhouse Publishers, 2019), and Day By Day (Stenhouse, 2010).
View all posts by Stacey Shubitz
I love how you did this – – the story, the timeline, the pictures. The face screams: I LOVE STRAWBERRY ICE CREAM! And the face also shows Ari loves doing fun things with a mom who enjoys spending time with him and giving him new experiences. What fun!
YUM! Everything is better completely and totally fresh – farm to table! I’m ready for strawberry picking! I bet Ari’s homemade strawberry ice cream tops Longford’s 😉
I love that you’ve taken us along for the ride. Your post reminds me of two things: First, when I was growing up, my dad planted wild strawberries in our back yard. The first several years were bleak: teensy-tiny, shriveled. And as the years went on, the plants grew and spread. It got to be a thing I enjoyed, going out to the back yard to forage for berries that I could offer to my dad in a little bowl.
The other memory strikes me from when we lived in Michigan. It was a week or two before my younger one’s due date. I brought my older son strawberry picking with me. I figured if THIS didn’t get me to go into labor, I wasn’t sure what would. Of course it didn’t. Of course that boy waited until his EXACT due date. And of course he’s still exactly the same.
Raising Literate Humans 
Strawberry picking is on our to do list. We may have to whip out the ice cream maker. Hope Ari loves every bite!
I’ll bet you have another week or so until they’re ripe in CT.
Honestly, I’m waiting for black raspberry season. THAT’s the ice cream I want!
I love how you did this – – the story, the timeline, the pictures. The face screams: I LOVE STRAWBERRY ICE CREAM! And the face also shows Ari loves doing fun things with a mom who enjoys spending time with him and giving him new experiences. What fun!
We had such fun making it together. He wants me to make strawberry jam next. I’m not too excited about that. We’ll see how persuasive he is.
YUM! Everything is better completely and totally fresh – farm to table! I’m ready for strawberry picking! I bet Ari’s homemade strawberry ice cream tops Longford’s 😉
We were actually up your way and had Longford’s the other night. Ari and I tried their caramel sea salt flavor. WOW, was that delicious!
Ari and Mummy’s, yummy experience!!
Fun and yummy, indeed!
Love the photo timeline! What a creative way to add visuals to the slice.
What fun! I love the photos and it sounds yummy! I’ll bet he just loved it – the whole day!
Oh – YUM. I, too, love strawberries, but we have another few weeks before they’re in. Now I need to prioritize fresh strawberry ice cream.
I love that you’ve taken us along for the ride. Your post reminds me of two things: First, when I was growing up, my dad planted wild strawberries in our back yard. The first several years were bleak: teensy-tiny, shriveled. And as the years went on, the plants grew and spread. It got to be a thing I enjoyed, going out to the back yard to forage for berries that I could offer to my dad in a little bowl.
The other memory strikes me from when we lived in Michigan. It was a week or two before my younger one’s due date. I brought my older son strawberry picking with me. I figured if THIS didn’t get me to go into labor, I wasn’t sure what would. Of course it didn’t. Of course that boy waited until his EXACT due date. And of course he’s still exactly the same.
Thanks for bringing up these memories. =))