We went strawberry picking last weekend, something that I had not done in a long time. The last time was a decade ago in Mahableshwar. The farm was luscious. Even the air smelled wonderful. The rows of the strawberry plant were perfectly parallel. The red shining through the green was a visual treat. More than the kids, I was super excited. I immediately got to work. I went about the plants looking for the most red and the biggest strawberry and I wasn't disappointed. It was almost thrilling to find a big one. While Anushka ran in the fields with a stick in her hand, I was not only plucking, but eating them as well. And boy oh boy!!! were they delicious!!!! I knew I had more than I wanted, more than I could finish, but what the heck!!! I just blended up a nice cool strawberry milkshake at night.
Strawberry is indeed a very beautiful-looking fruit, isn't it? I would like to think of it as a royal fruit. Here are some fun facts about strawberries that I was amazed at:
- Strawberries were originally called 'strewberries' coz they lie just strewned across the leaves of the plants on the ground.
- They are the only fruit with seeds on the outside skin. Each fruit has about 200 seeds on it.
- Belgium has a whole museum for strawberries.
- Strawberries belong to the family of rose.
- Big source of vitamin C and folic acid. And totally fat-free.
I would say that this is a really cool fun outdoor summer activity that every family should plan. June is the only month the strawberry harvest will last. July will be the month for blueberries. So get going you guys!!! Just google up the nearest pick-your-fruit farm and scurry away this weekend.
P.S. Don't forget your sunscreen lotions.
