Joyful Zest: Strawberry Season

Strawberry season opens the doors of summer.

Growing up, my mom made a point of taking her daughters strawberry picking every June. We were treasure hunters looking for rubies warmed by the sun and bursting with flavor. Peeking under leaves and flowers, I would nibble as a I picked, spilling red juice down the front of my blouse. Summer afternoons would find us dicing berries and whipping cream to make pies, shortcakes, and cobblers. There was always enough to go around and often more for seconds. I think it was these fond memories that made me fall in love with this strawberry dress from Krissyfied.

Krissyfied is an ethical clothing enterprise based in East London. Krissy's motto is "Frocks with Feelings" because her clothing is made in England from fair trade materials and 10% of Krissyfied's profits go to Karm Marge Children's Home in New Dehli, India.

The more research I do, the more uplifted I am to discover how many incredible fashion companies are out there who not only make adorable clothing offered a fair price, but also actively work to make the world a better place. It makes me wonder why I ever thought shopping in conventional stores was a good idea when you can get something so much more special for the same price from an independent designer.

Easy Strawberry Rhubarb Crumble

2 stalks of Rhubarb

4 cups fresh strawberries

3/4 cup all-purpose flour

3/4 cup packed brown sugar

1/2 tsp salt

1 tsp cinnamon

1 stick unsalted butter

Dice rhubarb and halve strawberries and lay them on the bottom of your pan.

Mix together the rest of the ingredients using two knives or a food processor until the mixture resembles coarse bread crumbs. Scatter topping evenly over fruit and bake at 375 degrees for 50-55 minutes. Serve with fresh whipped cream or vanilla ice cream.

Recipe courtesy of the Joy of Cooking.