Wednesday Medley: National Strawberry Day

NATIONAL STRAWBERRY DAY – February 27

NATIONAL STRAWBERRY DAY

We continue with February’s heart-shaped and red theme by observing National Strawberry Day on February 27. These juicy, sweet berries can brighten up any dish and are delicious all on their own.

There are a few different stories behind the origin of the name. The more widely accepted version is that the berries would drop off the leaves and become “strewn” about the plant. Overtime “strewn-berries” became “strawberries”. There was a time (and some gardeners still do this today) when strawberry beds were mulched with straw, insulating the plants over the winter, keeping weeds at bay during the growing season and making them easier to harvest. Another sweet story tells of English children stringing the berries on grass straws and selling the “straw berries” in their neighborhoods.

Not only are they delicious, but they are also fragrant. One of the more aromatic fruits, they belong to the rose family.

Strawberries are grown in nearly every corner of the Earth (if the Earth had corners) except for her most frozen southern and northern reaches. Along with all these possible locations, there are over 600 varieties of strawberries as well.

An excellent source of Vitamin C, strawberries are also a good source of folic acid, potassium and fiber. At 55 calories and zero fat in 1 cup, these sweet things hit the spot when a snack time is calling!

HOW TO OBSERVE

While the best season for strawberries is from late April to August, now might be a good time to scout out strawberry festivals and pick-your-own farms or plan to plant your own strawberry patch. Imagine sitting in your very own patch eating sun-warmed, sweet berries you picked or even grew yourself under clear blue skies.

BERRY PICKING TIPS:

• Pick fully ripe berries. Strawberries don’t continue to ripen if picked too early like bananas or pears.
• Don’t overfill your container. Berries are tender and can bruise easily.
• Don’t wash the fruit until you are ready to eat. Strawberries are susceptible to mold and washing will speed up spoilage.
• The best time to pick strawberries is on cool, cloudy days, but if they will be eaten right away, any time is perfect!
• If you pick more than you can eat before they spoil, strawberries freeze very well. Pluck off the green caps and toss into a freezer bag. Use for smoothies, ice cream or cake toppings.

You may want to have a fresh bowl of strawberries now, or maybe give one of the following recipes a try:

Strawberry Pretzel SaladStrawberry Spinach SaladEasy Strawberry Banana SmoothiesEasy Fresh Strawberry PieStrawberries and Cream Bread Pudding

Use #NationalStrawberryDay to post on social media.

HISTORY

Within our research, we were unable to identify the creator of National Strawberry Day.  It is listed as an American Food Holiday.

*************************************

1.  Given all that information on this 🍓National Strawberry Day🍓, do you have a favorite recipe for strawberries?  Would you share it with us?  Mine is already up there in the links. I love strawberry pretzel salad.

2.  Some people think the smaller, northern varieties are sweeter than the larger berries that grow in the south and in California.  What are your thoughts on that?  I think the ones that are allowed to ripen naturally are sweetest no matter where they were grown. The ones that are artificially ripened to keep them from getting too soft too soon don't have very much flavor.

3.  There is a Strawberry Festival right here in Plant City, Florida (next town over from Lakeland) and it is a huge event that lasts 11 days with headliner acts each day.  Have you ever been to a Strawberry Festival?  Way back in 1985 I was at the one in Plant City!

4.  Strawberries are grown in every US state.  Have you ever grown them in your garden?  I haven't, but my dad did when I was a kid. I have a tower, but haven't been able to get Tim to put it together for me. I'd love to have my own fresh strawberries.

5.  Strawberry is the only fruit that has seeds on the outside, and technically it is not a berry but rather a fruit, and would you be surprised to learn that strawberries belong to the rose family?  Do you have any strawberry trivia to share with us?  Nope.

6.  Tell us something random about your week!!  I'm having a really tough time typing this morning following a trip to the ER in the night. The index finger on my left hand felt a little sore near the nail yesterday morning. By evening it was red, a little swollen and definitely tender. By the time I got home from Bible study it was really red, really swollen and pretty painful. I tried to go to bed and ignore it until this morning, but couldn't. 

I finally drug myself off to the ER at 1:30. There I was given a shot to numb my finger and then the doctor lanced my finger along the edge of the nail and squeezed all the infection out. No stitches or anything, but I have to take some pretty powerful antibiotics because I am allergic to the preferred sulfa antibiotic. It's due to working in the dementia unit....the doctor said MRSA is always a concern in such a setting. 

As an extra fun perk, the antibiotic I have to take wipes out all the beneficial bacteria and leaves me vulnerable to C. Diff so I have to eat lots of yogurt and take a probiotic. Also, the numbness in my finger hasn't worn off yet. It still feels like it's made of wood and the tingling numbness is hard to ignore.

It's always something!

I'm linking up with Terri @ Your Friend From Florida for the Wednesday Medley. Be sure to stop over to find links to others playing along or to join in the fun yourself!