We planted 350 strawberries. Yes—three hundred and fifty!
My in-laws decided it was time to start a new strawberry field, and suddenly there we were, with boxes of tiny plants waiting to go into the ground. It sounded exciting… until we stepped outside.
It was freezing. Only +8°C, but the wind made it feel much worse. A sharp north wind, the kind that goes straight through your jacket and makes you question all your life choices. Hands cold, noses red—proper spring in Latvia.
But we did it anyway.
This was real teamwork. No overthinking, no complaining (well… maybe just a little), just everyone taking up a job and planting. One after another, plant after plant. And somehow, it went fast. Much faster than I expected.
Before we knew it, all 350 strawberries were in the ground. And then we did the math—if 4 plants give about 1 kg of strawberries, that means we could be looking at around 87.5 kg of strawberries. That suddenly feels… very real 😄
After that, we collected eggs from their chickens and headed back home. It was terribly cold!
Now they just need sunshine, a bit of warmth… and time. 🍓
Ilze
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That’s a lot of strawberries, my relatives always plant a few rows, they taste lovely. But my favourite is homemade strawberry saldējums.
Oh, if you have a recipe – please share! The internet is full of recipes, but I would love to have one with a story!
I will ask my auntie if she can send me the recipe.
That would be lovely!!!
It may have been cold, you would have been cold. . . but looking down all these neat rows ready to burst into leaf and then fruit . . . how happy you all must be feeling inside 🙂 ! Silly question – after you got them ALL planted, did you have to water them in also, or is there enough rain in April Latvia to look after the babies naturally 🙂 ?
We watered in while planting.. But then they are on their own 🙂
87 kg strawberries? Jam and pie are the obvious start, but you can push it further, syrup, sorbet, chutney, even a small batch of liqueur or try fermenting a strawberry cider if you feel adventurous. And then there’s the fun part: turn it into a small photo project, 87 kg is a story in itself, from fresh harvest to the last jar, textures, colours, the whole process. Or take it literally and organise a “pick and eat” day, living off the land for a day or two, which might also save you from drowning in fruit. And don’t forget the simple things that just work, a salad with goat cheese, nuts, balsamic, black pepper and… strawberries……..
Such a nice idea! Keep in mind, that we are 5 and Jānis sister’s family is 5 also parents 2 and another brother 2 – so it’s for 14 people. Also, friends and family coming over a lot, from Germany, and Georgia in summer, so I bet I would get 4 jam jars, and that’s it 🙂
😂😂😂
Oh how wonderful! I see a lot of strawberry sweetness in your future 🙂
I hope so! Kids love jams with crepes on Sundays!
Wow! What will you do with that huge a crop?
It’s not that huge, actually! Big family, all love strawberries! I will keep you updated 🙂
I know how that bone chilling wind feels and its never enjoyable! That’s a lot of fruit, and I don’t understand the metric system. 😂
John, learning is great—but Google can also convert kg to pounds in seconds 😄 85kg is 187 pounds 🙂 (yes, that many)
May you have an abundance of sweet, juicy strawberries in your future, Ilze.
Thank you! I can’t wait! I wanted to plant some on our land, but my in-laws got there first—so we’ll be enjoying theirs 😄
Wow! I want to eat some strawberries!🍓☺️ I am curious… what is the local or special product in Latvia?
Thank you! 😊 In Latvia, we have quite a few local and special foods that people really love. One of the most iconic is our dark rye bread—dense, slightly sour, and something we grow up eating with almost everything.
We also have a strong tradition of foraging, so wild mushrooms and berries like blueberries, lingonberries, and cranberries are very common and feel truly special to us.
Another favorite is honey, especially from small local beekeepers, along with herbal teas made from linden flowers, chamomile, and mint. And if I had to name something truly “Latvian,” it would probably be chanterelle mushrooms with potatoes—simple, but so, so good.
It’s all very seasonal and deeply connected to nature here 🌿
And let’s not forget sprats—they’re a classic too! 😊
Such great team work!
Thank you, Maria!
I am the only one in my family interested in growing a garden, it must be wonderful to work the garden with your family.
Well, we have our property, where I’m alone 🙂 and in-laws property, that is next to ours. They both garden and sometimes they plant more than they need and we help out 🙂 Mine is “blank canvas”, so a lot of work to make it “a paradise”.
Wow, lots of work, but that’s going to be an amazing harvest!
🙂 Will see! Thank you!