Wild Strawberries
This morning I asked a few friends this question: ” What do you think of when I say the words wild strawberries?“
”Pat and Pam both thought of the Ingmar Bergman film of the same name.
”It sounds like the name for a girl band”, said John.
Josip and Ulla said it reminded them of their respective childhoods in Bosnia and Denmark.
Josip collected wild strawberries in an open glade of the woods above his Bosnian home of Banja Luka. Accompanied by his brother, mother and baka (grandmother), they collected vast bounties in a glass jar in the heat of high summer. Once a snake startled them foraging and they avoided that particular patch the next summer! The wild strawberries served at home were mashed and mixed with whipped cream.
The wild strawberries in Ulla’s Danish childhood summer home in Dragør never made it to the table or in a dessert. They were eaten first thing in the morning with the dew still on them. The intense flavor of the tiny fruit is what she remembers most. Had any wild strawberries been spared these dawn raids, she says they would have been incorporated into a dish of raspberries and red currants called rodgrod med flode.
What got me started thinking about wild strawberries was the discovery yesterday of a crop of tiny delicious gems in the wild strawberry patch we have in our garden in San Francisco. We have two strawberry beds. The bed of the garden strawberry Fragaria ananassa produces a prolific crop of the kind of large strawberries that makes you think of the Fourth of July and strawberry shortcake. The bank of wild strawberries Fragaria vesca produces small fruit of intense flavor. Like Ulla’s Danish garden, we savor these wild strawberries directly off the plant as soon as they ripen.
Growing in open woodland glades, I have tried to create a situation in my garden which replicates where the wild strawberry grows naturally. The soil is somewhat acidic and well drained. The site has full sun during the day, and dappled shade in the late afternoon. I have planted the wild strawberries next to the garden bench so friends could discover a “taste sensation” as they sit and enjoy.
It is important that one does not plant the mock strawberry Potentilla indica. Invasive in many states, this noxious plant has similar leaves to the true strawberry (fragaria sp.), but not its habits or flavorful fruit.
I love taking hikes along the northern California coast, not only for its natural beauty, but to see native plants that are available in plant nurseries in their natural situation. The California native beach strawberry, Fragaria chiloensis does not have very sweet berries, but is an excellent ground cover for the coastal home garden . Shown in the image above growing in its native habitat near the coast in August, one can see that this is an aggressive species. Spreading by a web of interlocking runners, the beach strawberry stabilizes the soil and prevents shifting dunes and erosion. Notice how green this plant is even after months of drought. The coastal fog provides enough moisture for the soil under the dense plant cover. A large area would be wanted if one were to plant this, with full sun and sandy soil.
As with Ulla and Josip the wild strawberry brings back memories for many people of summers past, of childhood innocence and hopes. Psychological associations and emotions of loss and regret are intertwined, too, in a plant that evokes such strong recollections. In Ingmar Bergman’s 1957 film Smultronstallet or Wild Strawberries, an aging professor returns to his old home and in a dreamscape of memory re-lives his young love, Sara, collecting wild strawberries. He watches in dismay as Sara encounters his brother Sigfrid whom she kisses fervently, spilling the wild strawberries in their passion.
Wild strawberries can evoke yearnings for idealized rusticity, for the pastoral. In the 1898 Elizabeth and Her German Garden, Elizabeth Von Arnim describes her fastasy cottage in a glade of the Hirschwald:
I know the exact spot where it should stand, facing south-east, so that we could get all the cheerfullness of the morning, and close to the stream that we may wash our plates. Sometimes, when in the mood for society, we would invite the remaining babies to tea and entertain them with wild strawberries on horse-chestnut leaves. But no one less innocent or easily pleased as a baby would be permitted to darken the effulgence of our cottage- indeed I don’t suppose anyone wiser would care to come. Wise people want so many things before they can enjoy themselves, and I feel perpetually apologetic when I am with them for only being able to offer them that which I love best myself- apologetic, and ashamed of being so easily contented.
The 1904 essay, Strawberries by John Burroughs captures the delight of this plant, and its nostalgic appeal:
Lives the country boy who does not like wild strawberries and milk,-yea, prefer it to any known dish? I am not thinking about a dessert of strawberries and cream, but bread and milk with the addition of wild strawberries is perculiarly a country dish, and is to the taste what wild birdsong is to the ear. When I was a lad and went afield with my hoe or with the cows during the strawberry season, I was sure to return at mealtime with a lining of berries on the top of my straw hat. They were my daily food and I could taste the liquid gurgling notes of the Bobolink in every spoonful of them; and to this day to make a dinner or supper of a bowl of milk with bread and strawberries-plenty of strawberries, well is as near to being a boy again as I ever expect to come.
What comes to your mind when you think of wild strawberries?
Hi Phillip. Excellent post and photos. Now that you bring up the subject and such luscious photos it becomes apparent that strawberries are very sensual by nature. I never thought about that.
It is especially evident when you see the berries growing in the wild.
Shirley
Comment by Shirley Bovshow "EdenMaker" — 27. August 2008 @ 02:33
Hi Shirley
I love what you did in the literacy garden at your children’s school. The blue pathways were inspired, as were the selection of plants. It is an atmosphere where children feel special and encouraged. How better to inspire literacy that that!
Regards,
Philip
Comment by admin — 27. August 2008 @ 03:57
Hi Phil, I love these photos they are amazing!
Comment by patrick — 27. August 2008 @ 05:39
Let me see if it will work now!! Test! I do see that Shirley commented.
Comment by Anna — 27. August 2008 @ 05:42
Ok–it’s working!!! I love this post. When I think of strawberries, I think of milk, geraniums, and home-made strawberry smoothies. The geraniums cause they remind me of the same color.
Comment by Anna — 27. August 2008 @ 05:45
Great!
Yay!
Comment by admin — 27. August 2008 @ 05:47
Thank you for persisting! I LOVE your comments!
Comment by admin — 27. August 2008 @ 05:48
milk, geraniums, and home-made strawberry smoothies. The geraniums cause they remind me of the same color
Perfect! you bring it all to life Anna!
You are the best!
Thanks!!!
Sincerely,
Philip
Comment by admin — 27. August 2008 @ 05:49
Comment by Anna — 27. August 2008 @ 19:48
How cool that you garden in SF! I used to live on Duboce but had no place to put plants. Seattle has allowed a little more space to spread out.
Wild strawberries are my favorite! I planted some for my daughter to enjoy, straight off the bush as you mention is best (have you tried the “Pineapple Crush” variety? Delicious!). I agree that they have an ephemeral quality that is best suited to immediate consumption, although I did have some once in a berries and mascarpone dessert in Italy once and they were amazing.
Happy gardening!
- Karen
http://greenwalks.wordpress.com
Comment by Karen — 27. August 2008 @ 23:39
Hi Anna!
Thanks for checking! I love your cards!
What a great idea!
I am also thinking about Christmas now. Last year for the first time I was not “last minute”.
I am drying my herbs now. I want to give them as gifts to friends in small mason jars. We grow a lot of herbs, so I will have plenty to give away!
Thanks for saying hi!
Best,
Philip
Comment by admin — 28. August 2008 @ 00:32
Hi Karen,
That is so great you planted that for your daughter. She will have wonderful memories! Gardens are so wonderful for children. What could be better than learning about the natural world and the important things in life!
I have not tried that variety but I will search it out!
I enjoyed looking at your blog!
It is a pleasure to read and to know you! I was impressed with the sidewalk gardens. What a great idea and a way to create a community.
That is so great.
Regards,
Philip
Comment by admin — 28. August 2008 @ 00:47
Hey Philip—I don’t have any friends that live in Mason Jars but if I did, I’d give them herbs too. I want some!! I fully expect you to repay my teasing first chance you get!
I am so excited about being in my new house. I’ve got two mantles to decorate and decorate I will. I fixed my cards and made them pdf so they will be better quality.
Who is WP Hashcash?
Comment by Anna — 28. August 2008 @ 04:55
I found you by following a link from Judy Lowe’s Blog, diggin’it. She writes for the Christian Science Monitor. The CSM is widely known for its excellent and keen reporting ethics. Your blog was reviewed by Ms. Judy! and you rock of course. She put you in good company—go take a look. Ms. Lowe is quite famous herself.
http://features.csmonitor.com/gardening/blog-entry/
The Christian Science Monitor is not a religious newspaper. It is simply good reporting. You can read about it on Wikipedia. It’s won several Pulitzer awards.
Comment by Anna — 28. August 2008 @ 20:06
I was going to say Elizabeth von Arnim but you got there first. Wild strawberries also remind me of my childhood in Scotland, but we would only ever find one or two. I think everyone else who had childhoods in Scotland got there first.
Comment by Victoria — 28. August 2008 @ 23:12
Hi Victoria,
I think that “Elizabeth and her German Garden” is a book one can read every so often. Thank you for your comments! She would have a garden blog if alive today!
Regards,
Philip
Comment by admin — 29. August 2008 @ 01:44
Anna,
Thank you SO much for forwarding me this. My family took the CSM when I was growing up. That is so nice of you. My family is thrilled.
You are the nicest friend!
Thanks Anna!!!
Comment by admin — 29. August 2008 @ 01:47
Hi Philip, your post had me ready to run to the store for strawberries and the home made shortcake using the Bisquick recipe. Not the same as those wild strawberries, which I have never had the pleasure of tasting. Wild strawberry plant here sounds like the treacherous potentilla you name, but it does have a beautiful red strawberry looking fruit in addition to the leaves looking like the good kind. We planted garden strawberries here for the first time this year and they were great. Not only that they have put out so many runners that we will be enjoying lots of fruits next year. Hooray. I love just thinking about them, the color, the smell, the taste when warmed by the sun. Thanks for transporting me.
Frances at Faire Garden
Comment by Frances — 2. September 2008 @ 21:41
Frances!
It is a pleasure to have you visit! I love your blog, Faire Garden.
Hooray for your strawberry patch! You also captured the delight of this plant with your comments evoking the tastes “warmed by the sun”
I am busy at work on my next post. This one is a “bigger” post in ideas which invites people to share. This one required more interviews and research to get it just right.I hope you read it when I finish it!
Very Best Regards,
Philip
Comment by admin — 3. September 2008 @ 04:08