Fresh From the Patch - Strawberries!

How do you decide when it is officially Summer?   Is it the solstice, the longest day of the year?   Is it when you turn the page on the calendar and it says 'June'?   I think it's when you eat your first home grown strawberry.

Yesterday I had my first full bowl of strawberries from my little patch.  They were lovely, not just because I grew them myself.  Of course, that helps, but when you pick them and eat them immediately, they are sweeter and juicier than anything you can buy in the shops.  

I love them sprinkled with a little icing sugar and a splash of cream but they are delicious with a bit of our homemade yogurt, too.  Here is how I do it:

Remove the green 'caps' from the berries and slice them into a bowl.

Sprinkle over enough icing sugar to make the juice sweet and syrupy.  Add a drop or two of good vanilla - let them sit for a minute or two to macerate.

 Spoon into serving bowls or pretty stemmed glasses if you feel fancy.  Pour over a big dollop of homemade yogurt.  Decorate with one perfectly formed berry if you feel really, really creative.  Usually I am too greedy to decorate and just dive in!  

I encourage you to try growing a few strawberry plants.  You don't even need a garden, just a sunny spot big enough for a large plant pot.  I get a generous crop of berries from my container grown plants.  

If you grow your own strawberries, you can decide when it is officially Summer at your house!