National Pick Strawberries Day (May 20th)
One must ask children and birds how cherries and strawberries taste
Johann Wolfgang Von Goethe
If ever there was a symbol for summer that transcended the sun, it has to be the strawberry. Within the strawberry, we can find all the condensed goodness of hot summer days, cool summer nights, and adventures that will never fade from our memories. The best strawberries are those that are fresh picked while still warm from the heat of the summer sun, and National Pick Strawberries Day encourages us to get out there and pick our fill!
History of National Pick Strawberries Day
First, let’s talk about the origin of the strawberry. These beautiful red jewels dangling from their green vines seem just a bit too perfect to have been the pure manufacture of Mother Nature, so where did they come from? Well, as it turns out they did, in fact, come from Mother Nature in forms largely similar to those we grow in our gardens today. Strawberries have had a reputation not just for being delicious, but also for having astounding medicinal properties, at least according to 16th-century pharmacists.
But the origin of the berry as we know it comes from Brittany, France, where it was first cultivated in a garden in the 1750’s, as a blend of two other forms of wild strawberry. Long before this, however, they had begun cultivating them in their gardens from the wild, as early as the 14th century. They’ve been with us ever since as a popular dessert and food item, and are grown in the thousands all over the world.
National Pick Strawberries Day encourages you to get out and experience the wonders of picking strawberries first hand, and there are local u-pick strawberry fields that spring up anywhere strawberries are grown.
How to celebrate National Pick Strawberries Day
First off, get out there and pick some strawberries! U-Pick strawberry fields are in full swing during this holiday, and if you’re growing them in your backyard then it’s likely time to do at least one of the many harvests of the year. Once you’ve gotten yourself a bounty of strawberries, it’s time to have strawberry shortcake! Simply slice up your strawberries and sprinkle them with sugar, and put them in the fridge for a couple hours.
While you’re waiting, prepare a yellow pound cake and get it to baking. Once it’s out, simply take a slice of cake, cover it with strawberries, and then add a dollop of whipped cream and vanilla ice cream! It’s the absolute best of summer right there on your plate. Don’t let National Pick Strawberries Day go by without gathering your own!
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