Strawberry Fields Forever

It's that time of the year again at Brickell Life. Fresh fruit and veggies are all over South Florida if you just take some time to look for them. Make sure you check out one of our many farmers markets over the weekends or take part in a South Florida time-honored tradition of picking strawberries fresh from the field down in the Redlands or Homestead. While U-Pick fields used to dot the South Florida landscape from Kendall Drive south, there are fewer and fewer options these days.

A couple to consider when venturing out for berries are Knaus Berry Farms, home to those famous cinnamon buns, and another field at the corner of Krome and SW 288th Street. The berries are ripe, plump and juicy-red this time of the year. Get out, get your hands dirty and you'll be rewarded with some of the best berries in the world straight from our local fields.

If you pick a bunch, you'll be happy to know that the berries freeze very well. Just make sure you wash and clean them before storing in your freezer. Then all you have to do is dump them into a blender, add a little yogurt or milk and you've got an instant smoothie. Or let them thaw and add them to Greek yogurt like we do for breakfast and hit them with some local organic orange blossom honey.