I Love Strawberries

I Love Strawberries

They are my favorite fruit

fresh picked strawberries from my garden, author’s photo

June 12: June, for me, is associated with strawberries. What is your favourite fruit? How do you eat your favourite fruit? Sharon Johnson

My favorite fruit is also strawberries. I grew up picking them from the small strawberry patch in our backyard. I look forward to fresh strawberries every summer. Their arrival signals that summer has officially begun.

When I lived in Hawaii, it was very hard to find good, fresh strawberries. I found one vendor at a farmer’s market who grew them in pots on her porch. They were very expensive, but worth every penny. Each time I came back to the mainland, I would buy several baskets and eat them all. I love them so much.

Now I have an 8x4x2 raised bed full of strawberry plants. That will do for now. I just eat them plain, but I like to garnish with them when I can.

My mom likes desserts, so I make strawberry rhubarb crisp and strawberry shortcakes, among other things. For summer barbecues, I garnish with strawberries on top of cakes and tarts.

lemon cake with fresh berries, author’s photo

rhubarb strawberry crisp, author’s photo

strawberry shortcake, author’s photo

strawberries in a salad, author’s photo

dairy free tart, author’s photo

I only buy the local everbearing variety. They are smaller, juicier, and last a lot longer than the June-bearing kind. Right now we have a mix of the two. I make desserts out of mom’s June-bearing bumper crop. Then I pick and enjoy my sweet little ones every day of the summer.

want some? author’s photo

What is your favorite summer fruit?

[embed]June is Bustin’ Out all Over Writing prompts coming out the yin-yangmedium.com