Berryliscious

(detail from Forest, exhibited in 2006)

Yesterday, in the heat of the afternoon, my girl put on my sun hat and marched out the door with a big basket for a big harvest. When she came back inside, maybe a half an hour later, her hands were stained red and the basket was full and she said, "is this enough for strawberry shortcake?", with a big grin on her face. After a hearty barbeque dinner I was too stuffed for shortcake so I suggested making strawberry sorbet instead, which was met with approval. In the dark, with all the windows open, the fans running, the ice cream maker churned away at the simple ingredients: the freshest strawberries, fresh lemon juice, sugar and water, with its droning hum. Nearly an hour later a concoction of the most intense essence of strawberry was enjoyed by all, instantly cooling us down and melting away the heat of the day. There is nothing in the world like home grown strawberries, warm from the sun, red through and through, and dripping with sweet juicy goodness. Ahhhh summer!