Strawberry Fields Forever

By Sandy Nicholson

One of the wonderful things about being in Prince Edward Island during the summer is that no matter where you are, you don't have far to go to visit a beach. Some will argue over which beaches are the best on the Island - north shore or south shore. I believe that they are both beautiful and incredible to experience. That being said, I am very partial to the south shore of PEI with its red rocky cliffs, sandy beaches and endless sandbars and tide pools to explore when the tide is out. So much fun and hours of entertainment when you have young children. 

I am always happy to get the chance to visit the south shore, now that I am living in Charlottetown and my kids are grown up and go to the beach without me. So on Tuesday I made a plan to head to Shore Breeze Farm in Argyle Shore to pick up fresh strawberries to dry for our tea blends. It is the most beautiful strawberry farm on PEI, overlooking the Northumberland Strait and red cliffs of PEI.

The farm is owned by our friend and former co-worker, Jennifer VanEwyk so a visit there also means time for a quick catch up with Jen during her very busy season. She works so hard from sun-up to sun-down making sure that everyone gets to enjoy her delicious berries during the limited growing season on PEI. She has over 70 workers hired during harvest time. She also offers u-pick options for people to get a chance to enjoy a fun family activity and for the serious jammers, who go full steam ahead cooking up batches of strawberry jam. And of course, it is also the perfect time of year to enjoy strawberry shortcake. 

Since I brought the strawberries back from Shore Breeze Farm, we have been busy in the kitchen dehydrating them. The aroma is amazing. We love putting these delicious berries into our blends of tea. 

We miss working with Jennifer on a daily basis, but we are also so grateful to her and her business for supplying us with delicious berries that our customers get to enjoy all year long in our Island Strawberry and Strawberry Vanilla Fields teas. I am looking forward to catching up with Jen over a cup of tea, after her busy season ends.