Greenbluff is a small farming community of rolling hills just a few miles northwest of Spokane, Washington. How small? Imagine 30 farms in approximately 12 square miles. According to their web site the Greenbluff Growers Association was established in 1902 to protect local strawberry growers from outside competition. While it is still the place to go for the reddest, sweetest, best tasting strawberries, the growers association now includes a winery and a restaurant, a harvest house, a Christmas tree farm, an alpaca ranch, orchards, berries and vegetables farms.
The U-pick strawberry farms are the first to open this time of the year. My son and I picked about 40 pounds to freeze and eat fresh in less than 2 hours Saturday morning. Then we stopped at the Harvest House for lunch and ice cream while the band above played some old songs. "What a Wonderful World" and "Tiny Bubbles" remind me of the little things I sometimes take for granted. Yes, little things are the best and the best are often free but the consumer in me sometimes forget.
Greenbluff strawberries are small in size but they are intensely sweet and flavorful, and so luscious they practically melt in my mouth. The red, white and blue shortcake above is perfect for a Fourth of July dessert but I made it for breakfast Sunday. It's simple. The ingredients are real and the pleasure is pure. I got the strawberry shortcake recipe from a very old Better Homes and Garden Cookbook.
