The perfect time to pick strawberries is right now! Will you take your children to get a taste of those fresh berries and enjoy a few hours of fun with them? We like to take Juliana, and the happiness she enjoys is a precious gift to us. This time, she was so happy that, at the tender age of 4, she exclaimed to her grandfather, with a great smile: “Thank you, Grandpapa, for bringing me to pick strawberries!” Talk about “priceless”!
What about us? I can assure you that we are not so important that it is beneath us to have fun doing simple, ordinary things. Keeping in touch with Mother Earth keeps us grounded, gives us balance, and helps us appreciate the most important things.
When fruit is picked at the right time, it is perfect, so let’s enjoy the fruits that we have available in our areas now, and there are plenty! All kinds of berries are now ready in my part of the world, and, in the meantime, apples are getting ready for the autumn so that we can have all the apple pies we desire.
What kinds of fruit are getting nice and ripe in your area?
Remember, every season has its gifts for us – its precious, natural candy with the perfect amount of natural sugar. How can we go wrong when we offer them to our children?
So the strawberries are picked, and the jam is done – I make it with just a little more liquid, so it’s perfect with ice cream topping, crêpes, French toast, and much more.
I like to cut up the fruit in nice chunks; this way I can offer it to a friend with a little spoon in my lovely little plates “that are especially for that reason” and some Greek coffee with a nice glass of cold water! That is the traditional way of being ready at all times to be hospitable… And I love that!
I take pride in the way I was brought up.
For instance, I remember that when friends dropped by, we would never ask if they wanted coffee or tea or something else. Whatever we had available, like preserves, was placed on a nice tray and immediately offered. We called these kinds of sweets “Glyko tou koutaliou,” meaning “something sweet that is served with a little spoon.”
Also, on our kitchen table, you would find all kinds of seasonal fruits, nuts, and raisins, ready to be enjoyed by family and friends.
Cherries and peaches are next… I can’t wait!
Litsa with love!