Strawberry botox recovery room

It all started last Saturday, I made my weekly farmers market trip then took a bike ride around lake Monona. It was a beautiful day. On my way home I stopped at my friend Jess’ house to say hello and showed off my creepy bug bite complete with swollen hematoma looking bump. Upon waking up earlier that morning to find my body lightly coated in fresh bug bites, I immediately washed all of my bedding and assumed that would do the trick. I woke up to more bites the next morning and determined that I should sleep downstairs that night. The change of venue didn’t add bites that night but they didn’t seem to be disappearing either. I continued to sleep downstairs for the rest of the week and coped with itchy body parts. That is, until Friday.

I was leaving the Jackson family after a fantastic family history lesson at the new children’s museum (more on that later) and suddenly felt like I had just had a shot of Novocain in my mouth. My lower lip was buzzing and starting to feel numb, this was happening on the heals of a daylong mega headache that had just started to disappear. I looked in the mirror and realized that my lower lip was swelling up, I was starting to look like I had been in some sort of bar brawl. When I arrived home I called urgent care and while on hold I noticed that my right eye was feeling funny too, which is when I realized that my eye was swelling up and I officially began to freak out. I was able to get in to see a doctor at urgent care and learned that I had hives. Although hives aren’t the kind of thing I might otherwise get excited about having, I was slightly relieved to learn that I wasn’t being eaten alive by some creepy bugs at night. While we can’t be certain at this point, I feel it is very safe to assume that the gluttonous days of strawberry consumption over the past two weeks created my splotchy berry bumps. Armed with Loratadine, Prednisone and Wal-dryl I began my Friday evening knowing that my face was going to keep swelling for a bit. Photos were necessary. Not that this was my Cover Girl moment (god let’s hope this isn’t me at my best) but I needed proof and a reminder. It wasn’t until I brushed my teeth that I even contemplated smiling in this condition. Once I smiled I couldn’t stop laughing. My puffy strawberry smile was hilarious! I looked sort of like a cabbage patch doll version of me.

A week ago I was living the good life, I had just finished processing or eating all of the strawberries I brought home after the Jackson day laborer adventure at Carandale Farm (about 20 pounds). That was on Saturday. I was already Jonesing for more so I asked mom to pick up berries on the way to my house for Father’s Day breakfast. Despite the low supply of pre-picked berries due to the recent rain, my mom’s connections earned me two quarts of lovely berries even without a phone call reservation for said berries. I finished the last of the two quarts in five days.

So, now I'm in strawberry detox. I realized this on Saturday morning when I almost cried because I couldn't buy strawberries at the farmers market. I mean, I could have bought them but I couldn't consume them in good health. And while I enjoy making treats for you, the idea of making a fabulous strawberry concoction and not being able to partake is just too much for me to handle.

The thing is, I already know I'm not strong enough to make it through next year's strawberry season. I was editing some photos this morning and realized just how bad my addiction is, pictures of all of the strawberry glory that had been in my life over the past two weeks. Frozen whole, mixed with sugar then frozen, freeze dried, juiced, fresh bowls with raspberries and blueberries, fresh with whipped cream and a toasted cake donut, lemon shortbread cupcakes with fresh strawberry and whipped cream frosting, I didn't even get to make sorbet! Two weeks, in just TWO weeks I managed to consume so many strawberries that my body actually revolted. Yet even while sporting my berry botox recovery room look I still almost bought strawberries at the market. Not just once, not twice, but THREE times! Three times I had my money pouch in hand and seriously contemplated a purchase of the very berries that are making my skin crawl right now. I'm telling you, the berries from Door County are gigantic and I'm talking about beautiful, non-hormone injected, non-sprayed berries. I didn't quite reach welled up tears stage, but that was probably because my tear glands were swollen in strawberry rage.

So what did I do in response to this new reality? Bought blueberries, raspberries and cherries at the market of course. Turns out you can have too much of a good thing so I'm pacing myself. I've only eaten one pint of raspberries, a half pint of blueberries and half a quart of cherries so far this weekend. Make sure to tune in during the upcoming weeks when we learn if blueberry hives are blue…

*I hope to figure out how to post photos on this blog so you can enjoy my strawberry puffy smile too.