Good & Miner U-Pick Strawberries

What to do on an overcast day in June? U-pick strawberries, of course. Good and Miner is one of the many local strawberry fields/stands in Lebanon. Oregonians are very proud of their superior strawberries. I was once told by a local that you couldn't find a better strawberry especially not in California, as Oregon strawberries are sweet and red to the center, never white in the middle. At $1 lb, u-pick, it doesn't get much better!

I came prepared with a vessel to transport my strawberries back home, and Good and Miner provided the buckets for picking. When I grabbed my bucket, the man at the stand made sure to tell me that I should be testing the crop as I went along! Bonus pounds of strawberries were definitely ingested onsite! Though I wasn't prepared with knee pads, I still managed to pick six pounds of strawberries (not included the ones I tasted) in less than an hour.

This particular strawberry field is huge, with many rows of unpicked strawberries. They also had a stand open if you'd rather just pick up a box of pre-picked specimens. But where's the fun in that? The Good and Miner stand is located just down the street from my apartment complex. It's just off of South Santiam Highway, and actually right on the other side of the cemetery.

A little too close in proximity to our deceased loved ones, but I'm willing to overlook that with how wonderful these strawberries tasted! I spent the afternoon removing the stems, then froze three pounds whole for future smoothies, two pounds sliced in a little sugar for future desserts, and I ate berries and cream for lunch! Mmm.

If you ever are visiting me in June/July (strawberry season) I promise to take you to get strawberries. Picking is a fantastic way to spend an afternoon, especially if you have some mini-me helpers to fill your bucket!

Update: Sadly, Good & Miner went out of business in 2012.