Soon!

Strawberries may not be ripe in your part of the worldβ€”yet!

But they will come soon,

Maybe in May or June.

 

Sam Gamgee, Frodo Baggins’ sidekick, remembers the taste of strawberries:

Do you remember the Shire, Mr. Frodo? It’ll be spring soon. And the orchards will be in blossom. And the birds will be nesting in the hazel thicket. And they’ll be . . . eating the first of the strawberries with cream. Do you remember the taste of strawberries?”   ~ Sam Gamgee,

The Return of the King, from J. R. R. Tolkien

 

 

How they Taste: Ripe strawberriesΒ are essentially sweet. The best ones have a bright citrusy undertone and a musky, slightly floral aroma. Why do they taste so good? Click here to find out why.

 

Ten Amazing Benefits of Strawberries:

  1. Strawberries can make your teeth whiter.
  2. They can slow down the aging process.
  3. Make freckles fade.
  4. Help fight allergies.
  5. Produce “happy” hormones . . .Β  (Click above for complete list.)

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The Charles’ produce stand near Bossler Mennonite Church, Elizabethtown, PA 2014

 

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A Strawberry Memoir Moment

Down over the hill I hopped to my second home. As I got closer to the gray Victorian house, I saw Grandma walking over the porch to the kitchen door with an early crop of strawberries cradled in her apron.

Catching up, I sneaked a plump red berry before I asked, β€œGrandma, may I have some berries?”

β€œOf course you can, and when they get more plentiful, we’ll make strawberry jam together. How β€˜bout dat?” she beamed.

I walked in through the kitchen door behind her. As the door slapped shut, she added, β€œCome to think of it, I have to check to make sure I have enough sugar in my cupboard. It takes a lot of sugar to preserve strawberry jam.”

 

Mother Ruth Longenecker preparing strawberries in her kitchen, June 2014

 

Strawberries in Spider-Man 3

Harry Osborn: [after topping his drink with an olive, Harry realizes that Peter is standing behind him] Would you like a drink? I’m sorry. What was I thinking? Bad for the public image, right, Mr. Key-to-the-City?

Peter Parker: [referring to Mary Jane] What did you do to her?

Harry Osborn: [Harry takes a sip of his drink] I did what you failed to do. I was there for her. Mary Jane and I, we understand each other.

Peter Parker: She doesn’t know what you are.

Peter Parker: Peter, she knows me very well. And when she kissed me, it was just like she used to kiss me. That taste… Strawberries.

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Catch More Spring Fever Here . . .

. . . Classic spring poems for everyone.Click here to enjoy A. E. Housman, Christina Rossetti, William Shakespeare and more!

 


 

Do you have a garden? Will strawberries appear?

How do you like to eat strawberries?

Strawberry memories? Thank you for sharing them here!