March Strawberries

Look at the colour of these beauties!
I was in the supermarket yesterday and saw these Spanish strawberries were half price so got them on impulse. I wasn't expecting them to be up to much, you know, out-of-season, unusually red, abnormally huge fruits, they look too good to be true. But I was oh so surprised when they turned out to be sweet and juicy and tasty and very summery, which cheered me enormously on a cold March morning.

I would say I am a fussy food consumer. I LOVE good, honest food. I am bothered about where things come from and what stuff goes into the food I buy. We try to eat organic, natural, wholesome food where possible, if not organic then fairtrade or local produce which has integrity. So let me tell you, these strawberries niggled me a lot, the fact they looked so artificial and that they had been flown across to us from Spain, yet I could not resist them. The Little People thought it fantastic that boring old apples had suddenly been abandoned in favour of these. "Mmmmmmm Mummy, these are YUMmmy! Can we have more, pleeeeeeeeeeeeeeeese?"

Pondering the delights of strawberries as one does, I remembered this advert for jam which had been on the back of a Country Living magazine a few months ago. Isn't it so pretty and summery and fruity? Doesn't it make you want to run to the kitchen and grab a slice of bread and smother it with butter and Strawberry Conserve and sit in the sun with a mug of tea?  

mmmmmmmmmmmmm, can I have more, pleeeeeeeeeeeeeeeese?

Comments

[Jocelyn House]

Here in Australia we are fortunate enough to have Australian grown strawberries available most of the year due to the range of climactic zones here. Unfortunately for me I am now a) allergic to strawberries, and b) have a rather not so pleasant memory associated with strawberry jam. From about the age of five, once a year, the family would pack up and pile into the car for a two and a half day car trip from wintery Canberra to the wonderfully sun drenched beaches of the Sunshine Coast in Queensland, where my mother's family hale from. At the start of every day, Mum would present my sister and me with a teaspoon of strawberry jam that was meant to hide the flavour of the car sickness prevention tablets. Well the strawberry jam didn't hide the taste (bleuchhh!!) and neither did those horrible little white pills prevent car sickness. I knew that doubtlessly about twenty minutes later I would start feeling less that happy and that would be the pattern for the next two and a bit days. Rule of thumb was one icecream pot per child - I sure I don't need to illucidate their purpose. Around the age of 11 or 12 (oh why did it take me this long?), I decided that I had had enough of these little white pills that patently wheren't working, pretended to swallow them, then quickly went into the bathroom and spit them out down the toilet. This was my first day ever of no car sickness. Sometime in the next few years it was discovered that allot of children were actually intolerant to this medication and that instead of preventing car sickness actually caused it!!! GRRRrrrr. So now, while I love the look and smell of strawberry jam, the thought of the taste of it still brings back memories of those little white pills.

Now you might wonder why suddenly you are getting a comment on one of your post from March 2008. I discovered your blog last week and after reading afew pages decided that these were one of those blogs that needed to be savoured and enjoyed like a fine wine (oops - poor analogy on my part as I can't drink wine - migraines - but you get the idea), and thus have gone right back to the beginning in your archives so I can enjoy every little bit, every little detail.

Anyway Happy New Year from a finally summery Victoria.

Jocelyn

[Maddy]

That's my favorite breakfast, along with the biggest mug of tea that I can find. Bring on breakfast I say!

[MarmaladeRose]

Gosh! My tummy is rumbling!

[Simone]

I generally only eat British strawberries when they are in season in the summer but those strawberries in the picture do look tempting. I may have to buy some at the weekend. As the weather is meant to be rotten I need something good to eat to cheer myself up.(As well as topping up my chocolate supply)!

[Teresa]

Yummy is right. The picture even looks good enough to eat.

[Brenda]

I'm also very concerned about food miles, eating organic and getting the crap out of my life, whether it be the food that I eat or what I wash my hair and clothes in!

Have you seen this link from Time? It's a fascinating look at 16 families around the world and what they eat on a weekly basis. I blogged about it a month or so ago, the book is called Hungry Planet.

http://www.time.com/time/photogallery/0,29307,1626519,00.html

[kathy]

Mmm what fabulous colours! Fab advert and the toast looks delicious!