Monday after attending a flag raising ceremony and pancake feed to benefit the local scout troop, we took a drive to the country to pick strawberries at a friends patch. Oh the berries we picked ... 15 quarts, in just under an hour!

[Image]Picking berries is one of our families favorite activities during the Summer. With five little helpers this summer, Papa and I knew the experience would be much happier if everyone had their own berry bucket, but as I started to collect bowls from the kitchen, I didn't have enough. eeek! think fast...
A couple of months ago I saw the "super scoopers" in Family Fun Magazine and started saving milk jugs and made a half dozen or so for craft supplies. They are fantastic for markers, glue bottles, scissors, etc. They looked like they might work for berry picking, so I grabbed the three closest to the kitchen, (dumping the glue sticks, glue bottles and scissors out onto the craft room floor) and quickly rinsed and cut up the jug waiting for the recycling bin from last nights dinner. Armed with four super scoopers, and three graduating plastic bowls, we were off.
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A super scooper makes a fantastic berry picking bucket for little hands! They are light weight, have a handle, stand up well on their own, and hold plenty of berries! This new found use means I'm going to need to hang on to a half dozen more jugs (I won't have to wait long, 7 gallons is what we go through in less than two weeks). I'm thinking they'll come in handy when the garden starts producing peas, beans, tomatoes, peppers, and onions.

Need a hands free bucket? Loop the handle through a belt, or thread a rope through the handle and loosely tie it around your waist.

You can make your own by follow these instructions from FamilyFun.