Toolbox & Strawberries

In an attempt to focus more on projects than treasure hunting, a couple of weeks ago I planted a few herbs and strawberries in the wooden toolbox I found at yard sale this spring.

It's not exactly a creative or exciting project, but hey, I put a treasure to use. Baby steps, people.

I've already used the fresh thyme in baked chicken.

Put on some Simon & Garfunkle tunes to get you in the baking mood.

Take split breasts and peel back the skin.

Sprinkle with salt & pepper.

 Pile on freshly snipped basil, sage, rosemary & thyme.

Spread skin back on top and bake. 

SOOO GOOD!

This is the first year I started a bunch of herbs from seed (except the thyme). I'm sorta proud of myself but credit my hubby for urging and prodding me to do it all winter.

I wish I could say I harvested even one strawberry from my two meager plants. We had grand plans for making our own earth boxes this year but waited too long.  One of the strawberry plants didn't make it more than a day after this picture was taken. (From the looks of the first photo one might argue it had already died and I was hoping for a miracle comeback.) The other plant ended up with one small berry that mysteriously disappeared.

I cut my losses and went strawberry picking.

We spent one hot morning at what's usually the best pick-your-own farm around but I was disappointed in the crop. I had to try to hard to find good berries. We did manage to fill a whole tray but they weren't exactly the reddest, shiniest strawberries.

This Monday I ended up taking a day trip to Connecticut with the girls, my mother-in-law, and my grandmother-in-law to see the farm where Gram grew up and to get a tour of her old stomping grounds.  Lo and behold, the old homestead farm is currently a pick-your-own strawberry field! 

The blue house, red barns and farm land in the background are where Gram grew up.

So with a whole bowl of strawberries still in our fridge at home, we again indulged and basically filled the back of my van with bright red, shiny little berries from the old family farm land.

Coincidentally, my middle kid wore the right dress for the occasion. Her little sister couldn't keep her grubby little paws out of our harvest and was popping them in her mouth a mile a minute. I wish I'd taken a picture of her dress at the end of the day!

So what's your favorite recipe for using fresh strawberries?? PLEASE SHARE! Cuz I have a fridge full of berries and still haven't done a blessed thing with them except straight up eat'm. They're getting awfully close to joining the blueberries I picked last summer in the freezer... Bad Hailey.