Strawberry Season is upon us down south in the Tarheel State.
And although I'm not particularly fond of artificial strawberry flavor,
the actual sweet, juicy red berry itself, I love!
How lucky for me,
I live just a few miles from The Home of The North Carolina Strawberry Festival,
Chadbourn, NC, where strawberries are king!
I headed over Saturday for several quarts of fresh, locally grown berries.
Just like any good southern town, Chadbourn has a festival celebrating "something."
Chadbourn has been paying homage to the strawberry since 1926,
hosting The NC Strawberry Festival the first weekend of May, annually.
Over the years, it has evolved into the largest agricultural festival in the state.
And as fate may have it...
When I was fifteen, I ran for The NC Strawberry Festival Princess.
A long-weekend competition,
all the princess and queen contestants took part in each of the festival's events.
One activity being the parade, having to arrange for our own transportation.
It just so happened,
Mr. Ramblings had a gorgeous blue corvette with t'tops...
perfect to ride atop through the crowded streets,
doing a one handed queen wave, with a smile pasted in place for several miles.
You get the picture, right? :)
But being that Mr. Ramblings was a few years older,
I was much too shy to speak to him.
My dad knew his dad, and after my persistence,
he called to inquire if Mr. Ramblings would drive me in the parade.
He did, ...we barely spoke two sentences to each other...
and about eight years later, we met up again and have now been married 23 years!
Modern day love story, huh?
Look at the size of these beauties!
...perfectly paired with vintage Strawberry Fair plates, by Johnson Brothers.
I also have fond memories of picking Strawberries.
I went often with my parents.
My dad would tease, that I ate so many strawberries while in the field,
that the owners were going to weigh me in, ...and out!
I fear I ate as many as I put in the buckets.
Now I take the easy route, and buy berries from the stands,
but when Ashley was a toddler, we carried on the tradition of berry pickin'.
The strawberry inspired vignette, below, happened quite by accident.
When taking down my Easter decor,
I ran across the vintage strawberry plate below tucked in the old icebox.
I did notice the plate had a little blue in it,
but without a much thought, I grabbed it to add with the Mid-Century blue vases.
I found the blue vases at Carolina Country Peddlers Mall,
in a booth across from my previous one, several years ago.
They rest in the perfect spot to catch the morning light,
giving them a "happy illumination."
After searching through Pinterest for a low-carb Strawberry Dessert,
I came across two that I combined.
The filling and topping originated from Joy's, Jots, Shots, & Whatnots',
The crust was derived from Ketorach's, Keto Strawberry "Pretzel" Salad.
It's very much like a Strawberry Pretzel Salad,
without the carbs and calories, and turned out really well!
I suppose I should have warned ya"ll this was going to be a long post...
forgive my lack of manners! :)
And thanks for hanging in til the end!
I'll be taking a little trip for a few days, mid week.
My birthday is Wednesday,
and Ashley and I will celebrating in "the city that never sleeps!"
Hope you all have a great week!
Be back soon!
~Rhonda
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Thanks for the Feature,
Linda @ Coastal Charm... Show and Share Link Party
