After waiting all fall, winter and spring for the local strawberries to arrive, they’re finally here. But not here, as in, in my house. Or better yet, in the strawberry shortcake I’d been envisioning for dessert.

Friends and I were supposed to pick strawberries at Berry Patch Farms, but it appears that their traffic was so heavy that the fields will be shut down for the remainder of the week. I was disappointed at the news but not overly so, as I still had Plan B: picking next week at my CSA. Then I heard from a fellow member that the crop was damaged due to a big storm so picking will be curtailed until the remaining fruit ripens.

So, no berries. At least, no freshly picked ones. My 7-year-old, however, did her best to save the day. On the menu tonight (which she planned and cooked herself in honor of her grandparents’ arrival) was black bean soup, Caesar salad, sweet corn and white cake with whipped cream, strawberries and raspberries. The berries were not fresh — unless you count “freshly out of the freezer” as fresh. But at least they were local. We picked them together last year at Berry Patch Farms.