• Friday-What'sUP July 10 - 03:17 am

It's Strawberry time in the Copper Country and what a yummy time of year it is! Just look at those big, red berries that Elizabeth Hyrkas snapped up for us. I wonder if she picked them too?! They look so luscious that it would be quite the test of willpower, to get through cleaning and mashing them for shortcake without having eaten most of them right out of the box. Of course if you have a watchdog guarding them like Chris Barrett has here in the second shot, you may be missing a finger or two if you ate any before their time!

If you're drooling like me over these photos and are craving some strawberries of your own, you'll find plenty of them this weekend at the Copper Country Strawberry Festival in Chassell. There's something happening all day long, both today and Saturday!

Good moring everyone. Those strawberry look really good. Going to Hodag this weekend. Weather is suppose to be warm with no rain.

Strawberries in a wooden box - still! Wouldn't you have guessed that the wood boxes would have been replaced exclusively with plastic ones by now? I know they [plastic] exist, but the wood ones just don't go away - and that's good!

The Strawberry Festival this weekend, the Pasty Festival last weekend. I'm missing everything. I knew I should have taken my vacation earlier. Does anyone know what, if any, activities or events are scheduled for 7/24 thru 7/28?

The strawberries in these pics look delish. I think strawberry season has to be the favorite season for our family. Strawberry shortcake...pancakes with strawberries...strawberry muffins...strawberry syrup for shaved ice...frozen strawberry ice...fresh sliced strawberries on a strawberry jam sandwich...and of course, strawberry daiquiris.
THC, I guess the only places you get strawberries in the wooden boxes are at the roadside fruit stands, nowadays. My grandparents had a small farm in Michigan and I remember them packing the berries in the wooden boxes.

Boy, those sure look good! Do you think the little quy in the bottom picture would share? Have a good day everyone.

Ah the memories....I worked the shipping dock for Mr Best in Lake Linden for the strawberry season when in high scool in the mid 50's. Can you imagine 4 semis full of them being shipped out every day... (I was good at sampling them also)

Mike, I know that the Tall Ship is coming to Ontonagon, but I think it is the 29th of July.

Good morning all. Three weeks until the fam. and I are camping at Rice Lake. What are some of my favorite things about the Copper Country? That warm sweet smell of the afternoon air. Number two? Sunsets out at Mcclains from site #97 ,#3 any dirt road, hard to get lost up there, eh?

Oh my, they look de-lish!

What a coincidence! As I was waiting for the pasty.com site to open up, I was munching on some strawberries! It's a good thing that I have some here with me or else I'll be really hungry for some.

Try those beauties with a little drizzle of some good quality Balsamic vinegar...your tastebuds won't know what hit them.

Brings back good memories! We used to come up for my grandmother's birthday every year which conveniently coincided with the Strawberry Festival. Homemade strawberry shortcake-yum.

Jeff in Houston, you are sooo... right about the balsamic vinegar! I am lucky enough to get mine straight from Italy. Yum, yum...

YUM YUM YUM!!!
Hey! is there anything else to say? ;)

Another memory. Man, they look good, too!

As a child during the late 40's/early 50's, it was an annual event driving to Baraga from Iron River for strawberries. After the car's trunk was full of strawberry crates (and my belly of the most luscious), we'd stop for a picnic lunch of pasties at a roadside park overlooking Keweenaw Bay. We could see L'Anse from the park. I wonder if that park is still there? If my memory serves me correctly, pick-your-own berries cost 10 cents a quart those days.

Ahh the strawberry, Fragaria × ananassa, the indubitable druthers of the summer picnic. A staple for a plethora of delectable delights indeed. Kudos on the fine shot

-Wheatman

KJ, you are lucky indeed. We used to grow strawberries on the farm and they were delicious, but when it comes to flavor those little wild ones we'd find along the ditch banks were the best!

Jeff In Houston, I just tried your suggestion of balsamic vinegar...although I did have my doubts...and all I can say is ooooooooooooolala, delish :) Thanks.

sur5er

Not all balsamics are created equal; the pricy Italian seems the best.

I know my dog would be a "watch" dog but not like that one! We would be watching him eat all the berries!
They sure do look good. I'll have to tell my wife about the balsamic vinegar idea. I'm not a fan of the stuff but she puts it on lots of different things.

Anyone else remember going out to pick
strawberries at one of the strawberry farms? I
remember getting into the back of a pickup
with a bunch of my cousins and other
neighborhood kids. We picked in the cold, we
picked when it was wet, and the first time I
picked, I ate more than I deposited in my
containers. I never did that again though
because of the logical consequences that
followed...ahem.

kosk...you got the hives?...ahem! :D :D

Tame strawberries are good, but nothing can beat the taste and smell of the wild strawberry!!! Now picking them is some hard work. But the reward of tasting home made wild jam--nothing can compare. I'm still out picking, and there is quite a few out there.

How does one tame a strawberry? Little lassos and whips?

Beverly,

I did get hives along with the other.

I use to pick strawberries at the Hyrkas farm in
Trap Rock back in the late 50's early 60's. I am
wondering if this is the same family. Nice picture. Makes me want to go and have some straw-
berry short cake. UMMMM!

Hey Wheatman.........glad to see you posting again!!!! What an expostulation!!!!!

being originally from Chassell, I miss those berries a lot. I've been all around the country, and I have yet to taste a berry as good as those grown in the Copper Country, especially in the Chassell area.

Picked a ton of them myself when I was up there...it was work, but after eating 3 or 4 quarts, only the gutache mattered :)

I remember the farm in Traprock picking the strawberries with Mom and my brother. Nothing beats picking your own in wooden boxes. Miss it a lot.

The tall ship will be in Houghton Saturday July 8th. It is a 137ft schoorner three masted sailboat it will dock on the west side of the bridge. It's masted are 95' tall. The bridge can open to 100'. All you bridge cam watchers be on the lookout. Can't give eta but in the am hrs

The BEST strawberries are the ones grown in Chassell, Got 2 quarts of them from daughter & son-in-law, DELIGHTFUL.

Would love to see a picture of a thimbleberry plant with ripe berries. When is it their time to ripen?

Somebody please post a picture of the tall ship tomorrow. I won't be home to watch for it. :(

To John, up here in the Copper Country we call tame strawberries farm grown- why I don't know. But wild strawberries are just that---WILD. They grow in fields and are eaten by big bears and other wild animals. Then they go poo in the bushes and replant in the fields. Guess poo is good for something!!! HaHa Wild berries from wild animals

Wheatman-
You took the words right out of my mouth!

The strawberries look delicious.

bridgeoperator Davey/// Tall ships etc. could you email me Dave??

The strawberries remind me of a couple of summers I spent picking berries as a teen in Klingville. Every time I see berries displayed like that makes my back ache. I must say the berries in the UP have the best flavor of all strawberries I have ever sampled.

Those are beautiful berries and I know they taste MUCH better than we get in the stores but the wild ones were always my favorite. My Mom sent us down in the fields in back of our house to pick.We were gone a long time. She would make shortcake and jam.We had real whipped cream on the shortcake---it was oh so good!!

I picked berries for Mr Niemala up the hill by Dollar Bay.He came in his truck up and got all of us who wanted to pick.I remember Irene Olson always was the fastest picker. We all enjoyed our share of berries.

The farm I picked on was the Jarvi farm in
Chassell, but I've had good ones at my aunt's
fam in Klingville too.

oops. That would be farm.

Here is a link to track the tall ship coming to Houghton. The Dennis Sullivan and its home page Pier Wisconsin. I'll try to get some pictures of it as it comes under the bridge.

I remember picking berries at the Baccus farm in Lake LInden as a teenager. We were picked up with a truck and brought to the strawberry field.
Can't remember how much we got paid per quart but to us it was good.

Balsamic vinegar from Italy is now graded.
Look for leaves on the label or tag with four being top end to one for the less aged.

Jeff, KJ and John, What are some of the brands of balsamic vinegar that you recommend? Thanks. :)

Bridgeoperator Davey please e-mail I have a question for you.

Does anyone remember picking berries at the Pallo
farm in Jacobsville in the 50's. They would provide living quarters for strawberry pickers
during the strawberry season. What a nice place to
spend a few weeks in the summer and make some extra cash.

I remember picking berries in Chassell and I worked in the berry field up on Calumet Hill for Paul Tikkanen (now deceased). We rode the planting machine and then later picked 'em. This was in the early 50s. We'd be out there early in the morning so we'd be done by 2:00 pm. I remember how HOT it was picking. Then we'd go to the Incline Dam for a swim. Sure had lots of fun. Sure ate lots of berries. :>)

Ken ja Mimi from da UP; Was the Incline Dam
between Laurium and Lake Linden? I would go swim-
ing there too. Then we would sneak into the Lake
Linden Drive-In to watch a free movie.

George, Virginia The thimbleberries are usually ripe and ready to pick the first few weeks in August. I am sure that there will be plenty of pictures of these beauties very soon. Hard to beat thimbleberry jam. Having some tomorrow morning.

Mmmm-mmmmm good! A feast for the eyes as well as the stomach. We used to pick for the Tervo Bros. along 41,up from the Berry Farm. Back then the farmers would pick the pickers from various street corners in surrounding towns.
The wild strawberries are a special treat. They are strictly for jam,and the jam is strictly for comfort after a bad day. I have given many pints as Christmas treats and so far,nobody has accused me of being cheap. Strawberry fields...forever!

Joyce T: How would you pull that one off? Everytime I see wild strawberries, they never make it further than my mouth - way too delicious to make it anywhere else, much less home to the pot!

Okay,so I told a little white lie. I DO sneak a few into my strawberry shortcake hole,but only the ugly ones...and the 'overripe' juicy red ones. I could say it is discipline but that would be another little white lie. We have a small strawberry field at home where I get my fix.
It takes a long time to fill buckets with those wild ones though,and I have had help. I mash 'em up right away. We also think of those bitter cold winter days when chocolate just isn't enough,but gobbling bread and wild strawberry jam IS!

downstate don, Yup, Incline was closer to Lake Linden, on that big corner. Was a good place to get wet and cool off. I remember the Lakes Drive-In, too. And the Hiawatha in Chassell.