‘Long about knee-deep in June ‘Bout the time strawberries Melts on the vine   From Knee-Deep in June, by James Whitcomb Riley (1849-1916)   We like Mr. Riley’s world view…. For him, months passed in terms of the garden, of food ripened on the vine and a fresh harvest. In Indiana, his home state, strawberries ripen in early June. In the South, you can find their sweet juiciness as early as April, and farther north, strawberry season reaches into July.   Some folks prefer their strawberries green-stemmed and dipped in Organic Sugar, Sucanat®  or one of our luscious brown sugars. Others would rather indulge in low-glycemic sweetness by adding a few drops of Blue Agave or Raw Blue Agave, or a sprinkling of Organic Zero.   Spice it up! Try Strawberry-Black Pepper Sorbet or simply sift Wholesome Sweeteners Organic Fair Trade Powdered Sugar over fresh organic strawberries and sprinkle with freshly ground pepper.

Did you know that… There are more than 600 varieties of wild and domestic strawberries. (Some of us are on a campaign to try them all!) Chinese herbalists sometimes prescribe 8-10 strawberries in the morning to cure what might ail you from the night before. Native Americans crushed the berries into ground corn and baked it into a sweet bread… an early version of our modern Strawberry Shortcake Besides tasting just like a summer afternoon, strawberries are high in antioxidants; protecting cell structures in the body and preventing oxygen damage to organs. It’s a wonder-food that helps protect your heart (we knew they were heart-shaped for a reason), reduces certain types of cancer risks and acts as an anti-inflammatory--all of that in one sweet bite! Just one cup of strawberries has more than 139% of the recom-mended daily value of Vitamin C Strawberries have a Glycemic Index of 22 Strawberries are even better for your eyes than carrots: 3 servings of fruit a day can help reduce age-related macular degeneration in adults—EAT MORE BERRIES AND keep those bright eyes sparking!  Tips for fresh berries: Go organic! (Farmers markets are a great place to find fresh berries) Don’t wash them until just before you eat them. Don’t trim them until just after you wash them--you wouldn’t want to wash away any of that deliciousness!