Strawberry fields for...3 months

I am fortunate enough to live 20 minutes away from some of the richest strawberry fields in the country. The berries, which are harvested mid-January through mid-April, are huge and sweet, and we all get our fill of strawberry shortcake, strawberry muffins, strawberry pie, strawberry salad, strawberries Romanov, and just plain strawberries served with anything.

Like most fruits, the strawberry has an interesting history. Hildegarde of Bingen, composer, poet, and uppity 12th Century woman, declared strawberries unfit to eat because they grew along the ground and toads and snakes likely crawled over them. Because of Hildegarde's influence, Europeans shied away from strawberries for years. In 13th Century France, strawberries became a popular medicinal herb for digestive problems. For some time now, strawberries have been the unofficial snack at the Wimbledon tournament, presumably because they happen to be in season in June.

The strawberry is also a symbol of Venus, the goddess of love, which is appropriate for its place in modern history as part of a tribute to John Lennon--Strawberry Fields, the beautiful 2.5-acre park donated to New York by Yoko Ono.