Strawberries

Strawberries.
Strawberries fresh, strawberries plain
Strawberries with milk, strawberries with cream
Strawberries in pudding and strawberries in pie
Strawberries in bread, oh my!
Take some and freeze ‘em
Take some more and can ‘em
Make them into jam
Even have some with ham!

It’s strawberry season again. For the next month I’ll eat myself just about sick on them. Then I’ll go on to blackberries, then raspberries, blueberries, peaches, plums, apples, and so on through the year until next May rolls around. I don’t have a favorite fruit, but if I did, strawberries would be at or near the top of the list.

I had my first real strawberry in a year yesterday. Not that I haven’t had a couple over the winter, mind you. At parties and such I tried a strawberry or two. But those were lifeless, almost tasteless strawberries. Real strawberries aren’t the size of your palm and aren’t bred for shipping. They are bred for taste and come from down the road or your own back yard. Real strawberries come in all shapes and sizes and taste like, well, strawberries. The taste of each varies too, depending on the size and the plant, the soil and water, and a hundred other variables. Here’s a secret about strawberries: the sweetest ones are often the smallest. The best ones are often no bigger than the top of my little finger. And the bigger ones are usually the tart ones. Here’s another secret: both are required for good jam. I’ll be making my yearly jam in a few days.

I’m off to pick strawberries!