Pickin' 'Em 'N' Eatin' 'Em

Hahahaha! Anyone who has kids of their own may read that title and think this post is about something entirely different. You know, something way less tasty than what this post is actually about;~) Ok, now that I have totally regressed (and probably stolen your appetite even with the picture of delicious chocolate dipped strawberries above (just think of it as an effective dieting strategy;~), let's move on to what this post is actually about--STRAWBERRIES! 

Yesterday we meandered down Highway 1 to Swanton Organic Berry Farm for our annual strawberry picking adventure. (See here for last years post.) It was a gorgeous sunny day on the coast, perfect for pickin' n eatin' red, ripe, juicy strawberries. 

Check out the photo journal our our day below. And don't miss the super easy, super yummy, chocolate dipped strawberry recipe below.

"Hey look a sign we can read. Let's go find the BIG ones." 

"OooOoo, the perfect berry...."

"...and it's mine, all mine!"

"MmmMmm"

"Here it goes..."

Mmm Mmm GOOD:~P

Now that you have your appetite back here's how you make these decadent little morsels of juicy, sweet, chocolate goodness.

CHOCOLATE DIPPED STRAWBERRIES

LARGE, JUICY, RIPE STRAWBERRIES

DARK CHOCOLATE CHIPS

TO MAKE:

Wash and thoroughly dry strawberries. Then melt chocolate chips in a double boiler or in a dish in the microwave. (I used a pyrex measuring cup which I placed in a pan of water and heated on the stove. It worked great and ended up being the perfect size to dipped the berries in once the chocolate chips were melted.) Before dipping the berries, line a cookie sheet with wax paper and place it next to the container of melted chocolate. Now, holding the strawberries by their stems, dip them one at a time in the chocolate and then place them on the cookie sheet to cool. (You can also place them in the fridge to speed up the process if you can't wait;~) Oh, and something you probably won't read in other recipes, when the chocolate starts running low and you can no longer dip the strawberries, you have to use the leftover berries as you would a spatula to scrap up the remaining melted chocolate and then eat them to clean up. Total time saver;~)