Last fall, when we went apple picking my daughter asked if we could go strawberry picking next.  I wasn’t so sure it would be easy to find a place when we live in the Chicago suburbs.  But, after looking a bit online, I found a place called Stade Farm in McHenry, about 45 minutes from where we live.  Thank goodness they have a newsletter to subscribe to because there is no way I was going to remember this come June and I’d totally miss it.  I was so excited when I got an email that the berries were ready to be picked on Saturday.  But, my son had a baseball game, so we’d have to wait until Sunday.  Then I get an email on Saturday night that all the berries had been picked and wouldn’t be ready again for at least 5 days.  Ugh!  We were so disappointed.  But, it worked out for the best because I talked some of the moms from Sammie’s preschool into coming with us the following week.  So, that was much more fun with all the kids so excited to be there and trying to pick the most strawberries or the biggest ones.   We had perfect weather and everyone had a blast.  On the way out, in true Kim fashion, I realized that my car key fell out of my pocket somewhere in the field.  Well, this is a major problem, as you can imagine,  for many reasons.   The fields were large, they could have been buried in the plants, if I couldn’t find them my house is 45 minutes away and I’m not even sure where the spare is.  Thank goodness when I asked at the register if someone had turned in my keys, an employee was just bringing them in.  Phew!!  Major, major disaster averted.  I am never this lucky.

Jack will always smile for me, Sammie usually not.

The strawberries were pretty small, but super sweet.  We ended up with about 7 pounds.  Since strawberries don’t last very long, I was trying to figure out what to do with them.  Then I remembered seeing this strawberry frozen yogurt recipe on Eva Bakes and thought my kids would love it.   It is just 5 ingredients.  How great is that, especially compared to some of the ice cream you buy at the store.  Here’s the rare occasion where I can actually say that I made something healthy.  Mark your calendars, you probably won’t see this again for awhile.   The color of this ice cream is amazing and it tastes so intensely of fresh strawberries, it’s unbelievable.  I don’t make ice cream very often because I have found that any time I make it with heavy cream, though it tastes good, my husband and I notice a weird film in our mouths.  I can’t figure out why that is so if anyone has any ideas, I would love to know because I love ice cream.  But, this recipe uses yogurt instead, so I didn’t have that problem.  In late August, raspberries will be available for picking at the farm.  We are already so excited to go and I think I have an idea of what to do with them.  Raspberry frozen yogurt anyone???

Strawberry Frozen Yogurt

Yield:  About 1 quart

1 pound (450g) strawberries, rinsed and hulled
2/3 cup (130g) sugar
optional: 2 teaspoons vodka or kirsh   I omitted and added a splash a vanilla instead
1 cup (240g) plain whole milk yogurt
1 teaspoon fresh lemon juice

Slice the strawberries into small pieces. Toss in a bowl with the sugar and vodka or kirsch (if using) until the sugar begins to dissolve. Cover with plastic wrap and let stand at room temperature for 2 hours.   Stir every so often.

Transfer the strawberries and their juice to a blender or food processor. Add the yogurt and lemon juice. Pulse until the mixture is smooth. If you wish, press mixture through a mesh strainer to remove any seeds.  I strained it.

Chill for 1 hour, then freeze in your ice cream maker according to the manufacturer’s instructions.

Source:  David Lebovitz via Eva Bakes

How cute are these strawberries?