It's Tasters' Choice Tuesday! One of my favorite days here at Ambiance. Today is a must do for anyone in the Memphis and surrounding areas. My son and I met a school playmate last Tuesday for Strawberry picking at the Pick Your Own Strawberry Patch at Shelby Farms Park (over by Catch 'Em Lake).

It was so much fun. We walked the fields looking for the "best red, red strawberries" of course. And we found a pretty good selection of fresh, red, ripe, good sized strawberries. Each of the boys ended up with a bucket of about 5lbs. which equated to between 8 and 10 dollars a piece.

The best part? These strawberries are grown locally with no pesticides, so they are better and healthier for you. The good folks out at Jones Orchard in Millington, TN take the time to organize this with Shelby Farms.

I took my strawberries home and did a play on strawberry shortcake. I washed the strawberries, capped and cut them, put them in a bowl, and covered them with about 1 cup of sugar and let them sit overnight. They make their own syrup, which I love. For my shortcake, I use a 7-up pound cake base, the strawberries, cool whip, and a little extra fresh strawberry syrup on top (it makes the cake a little moister and adds great color on top of the cool whip).

I know you are drooling, reading the description. And all I can say is yum, yum, yum! It was a good time that yielded an even better dessert. For more information on Strawberry Picking hours or to find out more information on "Pick Your Own" harvest seasons, visit http://www.jonesorchard.com/.