Strawberries!

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“Live in each season as it passes: breathe the air, drink the drink, taste the fruit.” 

The fruit of TLC

Like every year, we visited the annual show by AIKGA (All India Kitchen Garden Association) in our city towards the end of February. The show not only show cases plants (flowers, bonsai, variegates, vegetables, fruits and likes) nurtured by passionate gardeners but also has demonstration classes on certain topics for those interested in gardening; selling of beautiful garden accessories and tools; plants on sale; farm fresh food items; garden landscaping and much more. It is a 2-day affair with lots of competition that has participating nature lovers keeping their fingers crossed hoping they bag a trophy/win in some of the many categories!

Strawberry flower that grows into the fruit

Growing strawberries in a pot

In this post I have just selected one of the many pretty things we came across there …….. garden-grown strawberry. I have not yet grown one in a container but hope to do so soon. What was fascinating was choice of hollow bamboo as containers. Kind of reuse natural things. Those who have tried a hand at it (especially in balcony gardening) have said that it needs plenty of TLC and at times many failures till they get it right.

Interesting planter option

A closer view

There was an elderly couple admiring the display and I overheard their cute conversation. The man was not happy with the fruits of his effort and the loving wife kept motivating him that the strawberries did turn out good and that he was doing a good job. Ah, the passion for perfection and gardening!

Hanging pot of juicy strawberries

 

Some googled fun facts about strawberry:

• Strawberries are a symbol of purity and sensuality, fertility and abundance, humility and modesty.
• The strawberry’s fruit is made the symbol of perfect goodness because of its delicious flavor and fragrance.
• In Roman times, it was the fruit associated with the goddess Venus and Ancient Romans often made offerings of the fruit at her temples.
• Ancient Romans used the berries to treat everything from depression to fever and sore throats.
• There is also a legend that if someone eats half of a strawberry and feeds the other half to someone else of the opposite sex, these two people would fall in love with each other in no time.
• In Belgium, there is a museum dedicated entirely to strawberries. It is called Musée de la Fraise.
• To symbolize perfection and righteousness, medieval stone masons carved strawberry designs on altars and around the tops of pillars in churches and cathedrals.
• Strawberries have aphrodisiac properties. Newlywed couples of France consume a soup made of strawberries.
• Strawberries are the only fruit that wear their seeds on the outside
• Strawberries are members of the rose (Rosaceae) family
• Botanically, the “fruit” of the strawberry is not a fruit at all; it is the enlarged receptacle of the flower.

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HAPPY  TRAVELLING!
Monika Ohson | TravelerInMe

 

This published post is being shared as part of:

#WordlessWednesday hosted by Natasha & Esha
#NatureNotes hosted by Michelle