If you haven't tried the strawberries from the stand down on Alamo Pintado, it can only be because you don't know what you're missing. The baskets (three for $6) are bursting with the biggest, reddest, wonderfully ripe strawberries you've ever seen, not a bruised one in the bunch. I was going to add a recipe here for shortcake or homemade vanilla ice cream, but after I rinse them and put them in a bowl, they don't last long enough to get the ingredients together. Better to just whip some cream and dig in! My Los Olivos.

The stand has been there for three years now, and it's open every day from 9 to 5.

By the way, California is the nation's leading producer of strawberries, delivering close to 60 million flats so far this season already. Our neighbor, Santa Maria, is the second largest proudcer in the state, but the hands down leader is Oxnard, home of the 27th annual Strawberry Festival, which takes place next weekend.

If you have more self-control than I do, you might want to try the California Strawberry Commission's website, for a bunch of strawberry recipes. www.calstrawberry.com/recipe. Either way, make sure you run down to the stand before it's too late!