I Like Strawberries

Since we last spoke a lot has been going on here--my bride and I have been camping, off on a jaunt to spend the night in a romantic old ferry house for my partner's birthday. For this occasion, I had arranged for flowers to be secretly placed in our room beforehand.

The room was high up in the old house and was spacious. There was a very nice view out across the river flats. It was pastoral, calming and romantic. Interestingly enough, the ferry still runs back and forth......
Ach, but here I go again rambling off-topic.

Right then, --snapping back to reality--

There have been jobs to do out the ying-yang and more visitors. I shall limit further discussions of other-garden and other adventurous exploits for other postings. Now, I would like to direct your attention to the season's first and the subject of this posting:


The first strawberry..... removed ~two weeks ago. Later this year than last.
The taste of that first strawb went to my bride. I got a nibble from near the stem attachment. It was delicious. There aren't words to describe. I shall just say this,--I am passionate about strawberries.

Well then, with the appearance of reddening strawbs, it meant that it was time to throw a net over the patch so that we would have enough to freeze-in, jam up and eat fresh.... If I did not do that, the blackbirds would consume them all, leaving only a dropping or two to taunt.


Simple but effective. Of course the important thing with netting is to be sure that the bottom is properly closed off.

Then some days later, came the first harvest--a modest but delicious Chinese bak full.


This punnet full had me drooling making sounds like a cat that sees a distant bird that he cannot reach. My bride thought that I was going to have a vapour-lock.

"Hello. Hello, ground control to Major Tom", she said.
I just rolled my eyes heavenward and muttered that it was too lovely for words. Once home and after the evening meal, this was produced from the kitchens:


Do you find this foto sufficiently rude? Inconsiderate?

A few days ago we had the third harvest. Can you see the little yoghurt containers full on the windowsill of the garden house?


Now then, yesterday was the fourth harvest. It was a nice amount from such a small patch, I found. They look so good in that trug...I began fantasizing in the lottie already.


I carried them back to the bench all by myself, flopped down and just sat there looking at them. The bride had asked me a couple of times from the fields what I was doing, but she couldn't hear my whispering answer...whispering because I have been hoarse for the past few days.



She finally came over to see what was going on, she looked at me and asked what I was doing. I peeped, "Lookin' at the strawbs" ( frugal with my words).
"Oh, good grief", she sighed as she returned to the patch.

Today it was rainy and I was happy to just stay home and rest up and do a bit of computering. As I sat here, I heard her say that she was going to make the tea. I croaked-out an " Oké".

A few minutes later in she came with the tea in one hand and a helping of strawberry shortcake and whipped cream. I looked up and saw it. I slowly felt a smile breaking across my face as I took the plate from her. I nodded my head in appreciation.

She turned to leave the room and said without looking around, "Speechless?"

 

How thoughtful, and romantic, to surprise your wife with flowers. Please wish her a belated Happy Birthday from us. After seeing your strawberries, I have decided to put in a patch myself. The birds or hornet generally get ours but since you told us about Enviromesh we should be able to keep them out. I've never had ants eat any of the fruit before maybe a small moat of water around the patch would keep them out? I hope you are feeling better now also.

 

Thanks for your nice note, EILEEN-- I hope that the weather will improve a bit so that your strawbs will ripen a little quicker. I'll convey the birthday wishes to my partner. she'll like that.

2-OF--Thank you for your nice comments. I shall convey your b'day wished to the bride as well.
How exciting that you are planning to start a bed of strawberries. Enviromesh will indeed protect your strawbs from birds and so forth...but don't cover your bed with it until all the strawb flowers have disappeared and the fruit is turning red. It is important that your plant's flowers become fertilized if you don't want to have deformed fruits.
I am feeling better, thanks--just this hoarseness persists.

 

mmmmmmmmmmmmmm......I love strawberries , we buy them all winter too. Yours look so good and your dessert looks incredible. We have some fudge that you use for ice cream and we melt it a little in the microwave and we dunk the ends of the strawberries in it. It is soooooooooooo good....that is only for a special treat.

May I add your bride is one lucky lady...such a romantic partner she has. My husband is the same way .

 

Sjoerd--great story! those strawberries are indeed mouthwatering! I just might start a patch myself!

 

Hello There, SHERRY-- I have had strawbs dipped in chocolate before. It was in a fancy restaurant there in the U.S. years ago. That was most delicious.

That's a good idea, CAYUGA--Fresh strawbs are hard to beat. Let me know if you do begin one, we can talk about a few tips and tricks.

 

Sjoerd, I just might begin one. It would be at my plot at the community garden. We'll see next year. Or would the time to start them be in the fall?

 

Hiya Cayuga,
I can tell you that in our zone the ideal time to plant one's new strawberry bed is in the middle of august. If other timings work, I do not know. August is when I do it...I always have success, thus I do not know about starting one now, for instance. I just do not have any experience outside of my schedule.
As a matter of fact, I am going to make a new bed THIS august. There is a chap out in the polder that sells strawb plants wholesale and I go there every 2-3 years. He has the most lovely strawb plants. I usually take orders and pick up plants for other allotmenteers on the lottie complex. It is a fun day out.
I wrote a nice little piece about planting strawbs on here a few years ago. I will look for it on here and either post it on this thread or PM you. You can try looking too if you want.

Here is one thread, but it isn't the one that I am looking for.
http://www.gardenstew.com/threads/strawberry-question.13422/#post-124473

 

Sjoerd, Thanks for that link. I'll have to decide between regular strawberries or the everlasting ones. I think the regular ones are bigger, right? I think I would have space in the community garden by August.

 

We are now volunteers in a organic farm or popularly called BIOS in Europe. This morning part of our job was to harvest the strawberries ... yum!!!
YUM ... I never knew that strawberries can taste that good ... burped!!! I think I this is the first time I enjoyed fresh strawberries from the plant directly and it was really good. Before this experience I thought that strawberries were naturally sour but now I know it is not. I have not eaten so much sweet strawberries ever before.

Sjoerd, the way you presented your strawberries is really yummy ... maybe I should go get some cream too!

 

Wow KK, you are really having quite an adventure!!!!

 

CAYUGA--You are most welcome for the link. In my experience, the regular strawb fruits are indeed usually larger. Of course the thing with strawbs is really the flavour. ;-)
Having said that, when it comes to jamming you need bulk. I really hope that you will have room for a bed. Fresh strawbs truly are a taste of paradise on earth. Good luck. Please do keep me posted on what you will or will not do. I am interested.

KK--That is a great experience at the BIOS. Good idea to get some whipped cream. hahaha. Yummy!

 

Your strawberries look amazing! Enjoy every bit of them. Thank you for all the information on growing them too. I will be starting a strawberry bed next spring.

 

Hello there Ginny. Thanks so much for your nice response. I hope that you will have a great success with the strawbs. Do you have any idea what sort you will begin with? Do you plan to begin with more than one sort?

I sure did enjoy them. I made 20 jars of jam and ate countless strawberry shortcakes, and gave away quite a bit...they were coming out my ears. I just removed all of my plants yesterday and will buy new plants in the middle of august to begin a new bed.