AFineYarn… a(very)little lookattheArt ofSpinning

Frigg is the wife of Odin and the Norse goddess of spinning and weaving. She is said to have woven the clouds, mists, and fog. As Odin is known as the All Father, Frigg is known as the All Mother.

Inthemonthof theStrawberry Moon….

Strawberries are summer - here in theUKanyway. Thearrivalofthese sweet juicy red fruits is a sure sign that the new season has begun at last. Good strawberries were one of the earliest victims of food globalization. Strawberries can be found on supermarket shelves most of the year round, industrially producedand,tomymindatleast, not a patch on the homegrown berries. It’s fair to say that the qualityofout-of-seasonberrieshas improved quite a lot over recent years, but you’ll do well to find an outdoor-grown British strawberry on the shelves before mid-June and I much prefer to wait for these slow-grown, locally produced varieties to become available.

Agoodstrawberryshouldbebright red, slightly soft to the touch and with a floral, obviously ripe, aroma. Anything less is likely to lead to disappointment, and it’s worth remembering that some strawberries, especially the relatively tasteless Elsanta turn red well before they’re ripe and ready to eat.

Theoriginofthename“strawberry” isn’t clear. It may be because straw was (and still often is) used to keep the berries fresh and free from rot when they’re grown outside. But it’s also possible that the name derives from the word “strewn” because native wild berries appear “scattered” on the ground.

We’re lucky enough to have wild strawberriesgrowinginourgarden and along the railway lines next to our house and they’re totally delicious. Theberriesaresmalland super sweet, and also delicate, needing to be handled carefully.