Strawberries Abound

This recent stretch of fine weather has ripened the strawberry crop. Now is the time to pack up your buckets and take part in the fresh berry rush. The English believe that soft fruit, like strawberries, raspberries, gooseberries, and blueberries are best picked and consumed that same day. A real purist will not wash the fruit until just before eating. If you plan to make jams or preserves, you should not let them sit in the ice box for more than a day. With strawberries in particular, the sugars quickly turn to starch, losing its sweet flavor. That sugary taste makes a freshly picked strawberry out of this world. Scout out the best berry growers in the area. Many of them have their specialties and some offer picnic areas and entertainment for the kids.

Schedule a berry picking trip soon. The strawberries will come first, followed by raspberries, gooseberries then blueberries. A good rule of thumb when harvesting any fruit is to schedule picking right in the middle of the specific fruiting season. Early varieties may open the picking season but are not always the best examples of perfect flavor. So best to find that sweet spot, which with fruit is smack dab in the middle of its season. If you don’t can, bake or eat the fruit in its peak, we can take P.J.O’Rourke’s advice and look at the bright side of fruit. “A fruit is a vegetable with looks and money. Plus, if you let fruit rot, it turns into wine, something Brussels sprouts never do.” Still have our Facebook Fan Page contest with the two free Tower Hill Botanical Garden passes. You have to be the lucky 125th Facebook fan. http://www.facebook.com/pages/Bilowz-Associates-Inc-Our-Blog-Annies-Gardening-Corner/325316334444

P.S. Post your favorite berry picking spot!
Image of Strawberries from the Internet