Strawberry fields for ever
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| Fresh from just across the border, in Huelva province |
"Let me take you down, ´cause I´m going to" ......The monthly market yesterday heralded the arrival of the first strawberries, admittedly from Spain,( " living is easy with eyes closed" ) but the Portuguese cousins and Casa Rosada´s own crop won´t be too far behind. The mild and moderately dry winter boded well for some tastier fruits than ever before. These Spanish strawberries are from Huelva, 45 kilometres from Castro Marim, so my food miles conscience is adequately satisfied.The favourable climate of Andalucia helps to produce full flavoured succulent berries.Encouraged by Huelva´s light sandy soil and warm Spanish climate, strawberries can be grown high up on ridges. Their roots are then warmed by the sun to produce healthy and delicious fresh fruit. The Spanish growers work to high standards to ensure the berries are bursting with flavour and goodness and now, with new means of production, the fruit is the best it has ever been.The mother plants come from meristems which are multiplied in highlands approximately 1000 metres up. This is done in order to ripen the plant to transplant them to the South (Andulucia ) during the months of October or November and start their fruiting from January on.The season runs until May."Nothing to get hung about"
1 handful of strawberries (around 9 strawberries) gives you (approximate value):
- Less than 30 calories
- They have only 0.1g of fat and no cholesterol
- Less than 10g of carbohydrates
- Good source of vitamin C
- 20% of the recommended daily intake of folic acid
- High in fibre
They look good,its the sun that gives them the flavour isn't it.A good long summer is just what we need over here!
ReplyDeleteand this year they seem extra specially flavoursome and I just can't stop eating them.
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