Celebrating the harvest around us

With a daily schedule packed with work, errands, family and friends, I lose sight that I live in an especially beautiful and scenic area where I can be in nature within minutes. Instead, I'm thrilled if I can fit in time twice a day on the short neighborhood trails a block or two from home. They're nice trails, but after running on them for months, I take the views for granted. Since relocating to Placer County 12 years ago, I have wanted to bike to Folsom and then visit the American River trails. But I haven't yet made the time. And I'd like to go back to Hidden Falls Regional Park and take some photos of the waterfalls. It has been 12 years since my first and only visit there when I moved to Lincoln. During the work week, I start to plan these little excursions to explore the region's scenery. By the weekend, though, I forget those plans as I clean my house, run to the store and catch up on work. When the work week rolls around, my chance to spend a significant part of the day enjoying the outdoors is gone for another five days. So this weekend, I purposely immersed myself in a nature setting. I did that by picking strawberries from the vine Saturday at Granny May's Strawberry Farm off of Auburn Folsom Road in Granite Bay. Rows and rows of 10 varieties of strawberries featured fruit still growing to fruit ripe and ready for the picking. I never realized there were that many strawberry varieties. The fruity gems I filled my basket to take home from the Granny May's field were exquisite, sweet and juicy. Three days before my visit to the strawberry patch, I bought strawberries at the grocery store. They were a beautiful red shade and organic but dry and not very tasty. The fruit containers were stacked on store shelves for days. And they weren't local; they were picked in Mexico. Although the farm used sustainable farming practices and the strawberries were free from pesticides, the store strawberries didn't taste a third as delicious as the Granite Bay farm's strawberries I picked from the vine. There was no comparison. Besides supporting a nearby farmer, I was spending time Saturday outdoors, getting fresh air and taking a break from my indoor routines. It was an exhilarating way to spend the morning, just enjoying what nature offers at our fingertips. For every 20 strawberries that went in my basket, I must have consumed five strawberries. They were that tempting. As I looked for the best strawberries on the hundreds of vines before me, I pledged to spend more time outdoors so I can appreciate why I want to live in Placer County: the scenic nature all around us. Nothing is guaranteed tomorrow. But we have today. Don't wait for another day. Today's the perfect day to plant some flowers, clip homegrown herbs or go berry picking. And as we do that, it's the perfect time to thank the Earth for all of its wonders. Strawberry season lasts a short time. But after strawberry season is pick-your-own blackberry season in Placer County, which is just as much fun and just as healthy for you. It's a great time to be outdoors!