eat it now: Indiana strawberries

Have you had an Indiana strawberry yet, one from a little box picked up at a farmers' market or - even better - one you picked yourself? I'm really hoping that your answer is yes. And if it is not, well, behold, my five reasons that you really, really should rush out and get some of these little red berry jewels for your eating pleasure.

A Box of Strawberries - Courtesy of posted notes on flickr
And they're from Waterman's!

1. Those strawberries at the supermarket aren't real strawberries. Yes, the packaging states that they are strawberries and I'm sure that they're somehow distantly related to the ones that taste good, but they just don't taste like strawberry. Fresh & local strawberries do taste like strawberry.

2. These fresh, local strawberries also taste like summer. As of today, the muggy warmth that typifies an Indiana summer has arrived. The pay-off for that thick air is that we also have some delicious produce and start-of-summer strawberries hint at the bounty to come.

3. Indiana strawberries will stain your lips and fingertips. That's just fun stuff, people.

4. Fresh, local, not-engineered-for-produce-case-stability strawberries are urgent. You must eat them now, before the turn the corner toward the land of too-ripe. They beseech you to eat them.

5. You can't go wrong with a strawberry dish. They're all yummy. Strawberry shortcake. Strawberry milkshake. Strawberry-rhubarb anything. Strawberry sundae. Strawberries in your salad. Strawberry dipped in chocolate. Strawberry, all on its lonesome.

summer excitement question

I'm heading up to Michigan for a work training for the next few days, but have a question for you all while I'm away...

What food-related or Indianapolis/Indiana-based event, item or experience are you most looking forward to this summer?

a little hint about why I'm excited for summer