Strawberries

One of the high points of Finnish summer is when the strawberries start to ripen. A part gets eaten immediately and most is frozen for use during the long, dark winter. Simple is the best way to go with fresh strawberries: serve them with milk or plain vanilla ice cream and enjoy a slice of heaven.

Finnish strawberries also test better than any others that I’ve had. Some say it’s the long summer days, others say that it’s the more natural growing process. All I know is that they beat any greenhouse or Californian strawberries that I’ve tasted.

So far our freezer has already ingested fresh rhubarb and now strawberries. Later on in the season we’ll get to raspberries, blueberries, and some lingonberries. The red and black currants that grow in our yard will find their way into juices to serve as a source of vitamins. Although, what we’d do without Anna’s grandparents I don’t know. So far we’ve been spoiled by bucketloads of berries on our doorstep…