I got the best deal ever on a humongous batch of gorgeous organic strawberries! More than 18 lbs. of red, ripe, delicious berries came from my sister's all-organic garden in Minnesota - and these are some of the biggest, juiciest berries I've ever seen. What's crazy? She's got more berries still coming in! When she came for a visit over the 4th of July, she brought the sun-ripened fruit.

Last night, I spent about 2 hours cleaning, slicing, and snacking on berries, getting them ready to freeze. Later this month, I'll make my Strawberry Cream Cake with all those luscious berries. With the amount of berries I've now got on hand, I could make 8-12 cakes! Not that I'm complaining...

At least she let me trade some of some of Annie's Market items for those luscious berries. All in all, I still got the better end of the deal. Where I paid nothing for the grill marinades, less than $.40 a bottle for the BBQ sauce, free or nearly free salad dressing, and grabbed ketchup for $.39 a bottle - she brought berries that are selling for $5.99 lb. (organic is always more expensive). I kind of feel guilty for getting the better end of the bargain here, so when I make my trip to visit her in the coming months - I'll bring extra goodies from the market.

With all these yummy berries, I can't seem to decide which way I want to eat them first. Do I want a strawberry-banana smoothie? How about cheesecake with strawberry sauce? Maybe a good vanilla ice cream with the strawberries on top? I can always used them in baked desserts, too.

Do you have any ideas for a lovely batch of berries? I'd love some new ideas!