#ValentinesDay – I and Thou Reflections

Valentine, Oh Valentine – Part 5

Fun Facts About Strawberries

Image Credit: Strawberry Farmer Market
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Taken from: The University of Missouri, Integrated Pest Management Article on Strawberry: A Brief History.

According to the United States Department of Agriculture, the annual per capita consumption of fresh and frozen strawberries is 4.85 pounds.

Over 53 percent of seven to nine-year-olds picked strawberries as their favorite fruit.

Strawberries are low in fat but high in vitamin C, fiber, folic acid, and potassium. One cup of strawberries contains only 55 calories.

Strawberries are grown in every state in the United States and every province of Canada.

California produces an amazing one billion pounds of strawberries each year. If all the strawberries produced in California were laid berry to berry in one year, they would circle the Earth 15 times.

According to the Guinness Book of Records, the world’s largest strawberry shortcake was 827 square feet and weighed 6,000 pounds. It was made in 1999 in Plant City, Florida.

The series on strawberries concludes today. I learned alot about this tiny red fruit/plant! I’d love to hear what your thoughts are on the subject. Comment below or go to iandthoureflections.com on Facebook.

SURE HOPE YOU HAD A HAPPY VALENTINE’S WEEK!

Valentine, Oh Valentine – Part 4

The Sacredness of the Strawberry

The Goddess of Love

Vibrantly red in color with the sweetness of sugar, strawberries have been around for centuries. Ancient Romans believed the fruit to be a symbol of Venus, the goddess of love. This led to rituals associating strawberries with love and fertility.

The Heart Chakra

A sacred fruit to some, symbolizes the heart, as in the heart chakra, the energy center of love and compassion. It represents purity, abundance, and the sweetness of life. Indulging in strawberries can be a mindful practice that invites us to savor each bite as we thank God for the blessings in our lives.

Sensuality

*Image Credit: gypsygirlgourmet.blogspot.com*

Chocolate-dipped strawberries add a hint of passion and sensuality to its characteristics. Often thought of as an aphrodisiac, chocolate stimulates the release of endorphins and “feel good” hormones, which can tingle the senses. This Valentine’s treat symbolizes desire and indulgence and is a thoughtful gift for a special person in your life.

Eating together is considered a sacred act in tantric and spiritual traditions. It symbolizes a union. A sharing of nourishment at a physical and spiritual level. Thus, eating strawberries with a loved one can deepen emotional connection.

Fresh and Sassy

Whether strawberries are picked in a garden or bought from the grocery store, they are fresh and sassy. They are versatile, too! They can adorn a beautiful platter of cheese and crackers by slicing them thinly, fanning them, and keeping the stem intact. Dipping them in chocolate and poking them on sticks can resemble a vase of flowers. Dicing them and placing them in a glass bowl, whisper, “Use me as a topping.” For salads, for ice creams, for whatever you can dream.

The next time you reach for a strawberry, pause. Take it in. Allow yourself to fully experience the lusciousness this fruit provides.

The color.

The taste.

The love.

Share God’s Love

May the next strawberry you eat connect your soul profoundly and meaningfully to God, to love, and to others. Go and savor the heart-shaped fruit and experience the simple beauty of nature.

Happy Valentine’s Week!

Valentine, Oh Valentine – Part 3

The Spiritual Significance of Strawberries

Valentine’s Day

Valentine’s Day is a day of love and passion. It is a day to declare your love to those you love. For me, Valentine’s Day reminds me of strawberries. Chocolate-covered strawberries, to be exact. There is something extra special about them. Maybe because it is a once-a-year treat.

Love is in the Air

If I had to define what love tastes like, I would choose a strawberry. A ripe strawberry tastes like the very essence of love. First, the smell. The fresh aroma starts to tingle the senses. Then, the bite. The first bite lingers on your tongue. It is a sweet-tart sensation that intermingles in your mouth.

Harmony

In North America, strawberries symbolize reconciliation, harmony, and positive energy. In Europe, they suggest righteousness and spiritual purity. (The Language of Flowers: A Miscellany” by Mandy Kirkby.)

Fruit of the Spirit

In the Bible, strawberries can represent the Fruit of the Spirit. They convey love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness and self-control. (Galatians 5:22-23). When we see and eat strawberries, we can reflect on the goodness God provides to us. Strawberries urge us to bear spiritual fruit in our lives.

Devotion and Service

Strawberries also remind us of devotion and service to others. These red fruits are wrapped in a heart-shaped package. Each one represents love for ourselves and love for others. It is the force that binds us all together as one.

Strawberries also represent sensuality. The God-given pleasure of life. Think about it.

The Strawberry:

Red

Sweet

Luscious

Shhhhh – I Love You!

So, the next time you bite into a strawberry, pause. Let its flavor linger on your lips, and consider the whispers it carries. Love, devotion, and sensuality are wrapped in the tiny, heart-shaped package.

May the sweetness of strawberries remind you of life’s divine flavors.

HAPPY VALENTINE’S DAY!

Valentine, Oh Valentine – Part 2

Medicinal Properties of the Strawberry

Heal Thyself

Strawberries are an incredible fruit. Their medicinal properties date back to the ancient Romans. According to David Trinklein from The University of Missouri, Integrated Pest Management, the Romans used strawberries to remedy kidney stones and other ailments. Another interesting fact he uncovered was Madame Tallien, related to Napoleon, bathing in twenty-two pounds of fresh strawberry juice. Maybe she knew something we don’t?

In a recent article from the Cleveland Clinic, Registered Dietitian Bailey Flora, MS, RDN, LD, describes the benefits of the naturally dense, low-caloric strawberry.

“Strawberries give you a lot of nutritional value for very few calories,” says Flora. “They’re tasty but naturally low in sugar. That’s a combination that’s hard to beat.”
Bailey Flora, MS, RDN, LD

Nutritional Powerhouse

Ms. Flora teaches us that eight strawberries contain 160% of your daily recommended allowance of Vitamin C. They are also packed with anthocyanin, an antioxidant. The more vibrant the color, the more antioxidant value it has. Fiber, manganese, potassium, and folic acid are also in strawberries and have less sugar than other fruits.

Image Credit: Karen Arnold, PublicDomainPictures.net

In a nutshell, strawberries:

Boost Brain Power

Strengthens Immune System

Protects Heart Health

Reduces Inflammation

Helps Manage Blood Sugar

A Gift of Love

Strawberries are a tiny gift. A gift of love. A gift of nourishment. A gift to the taste buds. If you want a delicious, minimalistic, consumable gift for Valentine’s Day, visit your local farmer’s market or grocery store.

Happy Valentine’s Week!

https://ipm.missouri.edu/meg/2012/5/Strawberry-A-Brief-History

https://health.clevelandclinic.org/benefits-of-strawberries

#Love #ValentinesDay #Strawberries #Medicinal

Valentine, Oh Valentine – Part 1

The Origin of the Strawberry

Introduction

I love Valentine’s Day!

It is one of my favorite holidays. I don’t get suckered into commercialism; I take time to reflect on love. Past. Present. Future.

So, spending the next few posts exploring the connection between Valentine’s Day, love, and strawberries is fitting. Remember that Valentine’s Day is a day to celebrate love. It doesn’t necessarily involve romantic love. Love is love.

Image Credit: Betsy Cox PublicDomainPictures.net

Is it a Plant or a Fruit?

Valentine’s Day is a perfect time for indulging in fresh strawberries from the farmer’s market. Their sweet aroma fills the air and dazzles the senses, evoking a smile from ear to ear.

Did you know that this tiny, robust red fruit is not just a fruit but also a plant?

Botanically, the “fruit” of the strawberry is not a fruit at all. The fleshy, edible part of the plant is the enlarged receptacle of the flower. The visible “seeds” that dot the surface of the strawberry actually are achenes. An achene is a type of dry fruit borne by some plants in nature where the ripened ovary contains but a single seed.
David Trinklein, University of Missouri, Plant Science & Technology (2012)

Have you ever grown strawberries? Or observed them growing in a garden or field? These vine-like stems sprawl in all directions and lay low; hence, they are the “strewn” in strawberries.

Where Did They Come From?

By the 1300s, the strawberry was in cultivation in Europe when the French began transplanting the wood strawberry (Fragaria vesca) from the wilderness to the garden. At the end of the 1500s, the musky strawberry (Fragaria moschata) was also cultivated in European gardens. Then, in the 1600s, North America’s Virginia strawberry (Fragaria virginiana) reached Europe. The spread of this new, relatively hardy species was gradual, and it remained little appreciated until the end of the 1700s and early 1800s when it was popular in England. At that time, English gardeners worked to raise new varieties from seed, and they increased the number of varieties from three to nearly thirty.
Vern Grubinger, Vegetable and Berry Specialist, The University of Vermont

Strawberry is a member of the Rosaceae family, and its official name is Fragaria. Strawberries are native to North America. Native Americans used them in many dishes, and the first colonists shipped them back to Europe as early as 16001.

Versatile Little Treasures

Home gardens are an ideal environment for nurturing strawberries. They only require a little space, and they yield a fair amount.

You may want to purchase extra strawberries this week. Or better yet, share a few chocolate-covered strawberries with a special someone. These timeless treasures make the perfect Valentine’s gift.

Happy Valentine’s Week.

#Valentine #Valentine’sDay #Strawberry #Love