Marburger Orchard

I have a history with ripe strawberries.

In 7th grade, I was in a production of "Oliver!" I had the largest role that I'd ever had - the understudy of the character "Bet". Alas, the girl playing that role made it to every performance, so all of my time on stage was in my chorus role.

During the Second Act, I was a strawberry seller. I sang the lyrics, "Ripe strawberries, ripe" throughout the "Who Will Buy" song.

For the last performance, I decided to go to authenticity.

Instead of the platic prop strawberries, I brought fresh strawberries for my basket. It's not as if the audience would know the difference, but I would.

After the show, I put the strawberries in a bag, along with my costume and other props, and focused my attention on cast parties and program-signings.

A week later, I was cleaning my room, and found my bag. I realized by the smushy red goo in the bottom that I had forgotten to clean out the strawberries. They leaked through the bag, and onto the carpet, leaving a permanent red stain.

The rest of the story involves scissors, a vacuum, a chair, and some deception on my part. My parents never discovered the hole in the carpet, and I long since confessed it to my priest.

Needless to say, ripe strawberries, although delicious, certainly bring back memories.

I'm creating new strawberry memories, though, thanks to Marburger Orchard in Fredericksburg.

About an hour from San Antonio, Marburger Orchard is a world away from the hustle and bustle of the city and suburbs. At various times of year, you can pick peaches, blackberries, tomatoes, summer vegetables, and strawberries.

We came out first thing in the morning in order to get there when they open at 9. We wanted to beat the heat and the crowds. If you go after lunchtime, you might not find anything worth picking. We learned, too, that if you call to make an appointment, the owner might open up for you as early as 7.

The owner gave us a demonstration on strawberry picking - what to look for, and the proper way to pick them. He gave us STRICT instructions not to walk on the black tarps covering the berries, and we learned from someone else that this kind of violation will send him into Soup-Nazi status, like the character on "Seinfeld".

We each took a strawberry container, and headed out to the fields. For two glorious hours, our eyes were keenly focused on any sign of bright red. Further inspection would tell us if a berry was large enough and ripe enough to make the cut. It became an addiction - we kept saying that we were done, but we'd see ONE MORE worth picking, and then ONE MORE, and then just ONE MORE. Well, a half hour of "one mores", and we had another half-basket!

We couldn't get out with with just the berries, though. When we went to check out, our wallets lost out to homemade honey, strawberry preserves, peach amaretto preserves, and more.

What a wonderful day it was. We have pounds and pounds of strawberries to eat and share, and my kids got to learn that strawberries don't come from the grocery store.

Best of all, I have a new memory when I think of "ripe strawberries".

Note: Always check the Marburger website before going. They are very honest about the status of the fruit and vegetables. For example, after a recent hail storm, they basically said that it wasn't worth coming out.

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Marburger Orchard
559 Kuhlmann Road
Fredericksburg, TX
830-997-9433
Visit Marburger's Website!