Ours is a berry-loving family. Strawberries, blackberries, blueberries, raspberries: our son would live on these if he could. Now that he’s home from college, and I’ve started eating more berries because I’m trying to eat the rainbow (such deep, gem-like colors!), and my husband puts berries in his cereal and oats, and our daughter puts berries in her smoothie bowls, we go through quite a few pints of berries each week. This becomes expensive when those pints are $3.50 or $4.00 each.

During berry season, though, I get giddy when the label on the blackberries says $1.49 per 6 ounces. Blueberries $2.50 for the same. Raspberries $2.50 for double that volume. And when the strawberries come in, $2.50 for quadruple the volume.

The strawberries go a little slower in the house when there are blackberries, raspberries, and blueberries around. I think this is because the latter three are self-contained units: small enough to toss in stuff without having to slice them, no stems, no work. Just pop them in your mouth, on your yogurt, in your smoothie. You don’t even have to open the compost can to dispose of the green tops.

So when the strawberries come in, and I see those giant 32 ounce containers, I put one in my cart, then go to the baking aisle and buy Ghirardelli dark chocolate melting wafers. When I get home, everyone gets a surprise treat of chocolate-covered strawberries.