Summer is winding down and this post ( courtesy A Shelter In The Storm) is the perfect way to savor each delicious bite of the fading season.
Henry David Thoreau once said, “Live each season as it passes; breathe the air, drink the drink, taste the fruit, and resign your-self to the influences of each”. In the month of June, I resign myself to the sweet flavor of strawberries. As May leaves us with a brilliant display of wildflowers and June begins to scatter sunshine on gardens everywhere, I am delighted with the anticipation of strawberry season. Native Americans had a different name for strawberries. They called them "heart-seed berries" and added them to traditional corn-meal bread. The strawberry was a symbol for Venus, the Goddess of Love, because of its heart shapes and red color.
Legend has it that if you break a double strawberry in half and share it with a member of the opposite sex, you will fall in love with each other.
The strawberry, a member of the rose family, is unique in that it is the only fruit with seeds on the outside rather than the inside. Many medicinal uses were claimed for the wild strawberry, its leaves and root. I adore this sweet berry and its romantic aura that fills the air each June. An abundance of recipes exist to turn this legendary fruit into shortcakes, pies and chocolate covered aphrodisiacs but my favorite is good old fashioned strawberry jam. I am transported to a simpler life when I pour bubbly chunks of strawberries into glass canning jars and seal them for future enjoyment.
No comments:
Post a Comment