I’m a spur-of-the-moment kind of person. At times this makes me fun, spontaneous mom. Other times it makes me rash, forgetful mom. I’m working on embracing the positive aspects of the former and disciplining the tendencies of the latter.

This past week spontaneous mom showed up and decided after breakfast to take the kids strawberry picking. Then spontaneous mom stuck around for a while and decided that a picnic by the river was exactly what the hottest day of the week called for.

By nap time, spontaneous mom had turned into utterly-exhausted-everyone-must-nap-NOW mom.

I have no plans to can any strawberry jam this year since I can make this chia seed jam in about fifteen minutes with no pectin and very little fuss. So buying bushels of berries doesn’t make any sense.

Instead, we simply each filled a small bucket (the toddler simply filled her belly) and called it a job well done. Our box of freshly-picked strawberries came home with us to be enjoyed over the course of the next week. We will likely continue this routine for the next month until the fields are picked clean and strawberry season is over.

Like I said, I don’t have big plans for most of the berries. For the most part, my kids are more than content with a bowl of sliced strawberries as a snack or in a salad at lunch.

Of course, one of the best things about summertime is fresh fruit in thick homemade yogurt, so we will be enjoying strawberry parfaits too (dark chocolate granola makes it even more decadent!).

I also hope to find a few friends to come gather around our island this year as we have in the past to roll out dough together and make several batches of freezer pop-tarts. If you have never tasted a homemade, fresh-from-the-oven pop-tart before, this recipe absolutely needs to go on your to-do list soon!

Morning sickness is still forcing me to take it easy every evening so even though I really wanted to make a pie (this one looks good!) a couple of times last week, I find myself sitting out of most nighttime activity.

Thankfully, I have come up with a simple alternative to strawberry pie that is just as delicious, especially when topped with fresh whipped cream. This strawberry crisp was baked to perfection twice this week, first for our final MOPS meeting and then again with the help of my three-year-old for a church fellowship.

Before I get to recipes for Simple Strawberry Crisp and how to make fresh whipped cream in one of my favorite appliances, here are a few more strawberry recipes that I’d love to try after one of our next visits to the farm:

• Whole Grain Strawberry Banana Bread ll Simple Bites
• Strawberries and Cream Ice Pops ll The Nourishing Home
• Strawberry Watermelon Slushies ll Live Renewed
• Strawberry Salsa ll Keeper of the Home

Simple Strawberry Crisp

Ingredient List

• 2 lbs fresh strawberries, hulled and quartered
• 2 Tbsp sugar
• 2 Tbsp flour
• 1 tsp vanilla

Crisp Topping

• 1 C rolled oats
• 1/2 C flour
• 1/3 C brown sugar
• 1 tsp baking powder
• 6 Tbsp butter, melted

Method

1. Combine first four ingredients in a bowl and toss well to combine. Stir until no streaks of flour remain. Transfer to a 9 x 13 Pyrex dish (or similar sized pan) and spread evenly across the bottom.

2. In the same bowl, stir together the oats, flour, brown sugar, and baking powder until well incorporated. Pour the melted butter into the mixture and gently stir until all the dry ingredients look wet and crumbly. Spread the topping evenly across the strawberry mixture.

3. Bake at 350° for 18-20 minutes until the topping is crisp and slightly darkened.

Fresh Whipped Cream in the Vitamix

Ingredient List

• 1 C heavy whipping cream
• 1 Tbsp maple syrup
• 1 tsp vanilla

Method

1. Combine ingredients in the Vitamix container. Turn it on (starting on lowest setting) and increase speed to the “3” on the speed control (medium low). Keep the speed at the same level and wait for the cream to thicken*. You will hear it slow down and see the center vortex becoming too thick to mix. Transfer to a glass jar to store.

*The process should take only about 1-2 minutes. If it is not thickening by then, try lowering the speed slightly. Once the cream thickens, turn it off immediately so the whipped cream does not break down.

TIP: If possible, make it earlier than you need it and keep it refrigerated. The whipped cream will thicken more as it chills.