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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a day in the life of a latvian mom 
That’s a lot of strawberries, my relatives always plant a few rows, they taste lovely. But my favourite is homemade strawberry saldējums.
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Oh, if you have a recipe – please share! The internet is full of recipes, but I would love to have one with a story!
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I will ask my auntie if she can send me the recipe.
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That would be lovely!!!
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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 🙂 ?
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We watered in while planting.. But then they are on their own 🙂
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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……..
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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 🙂
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😂😂😂
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Oh how wonderful! I see a lot of strawberry sweetness in your future 🙂
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I hope so! Kids love jams with crepes on Sundays!
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Wow! What will you do with that huge a crop?
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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. 😂
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