Those Wonderfully Healthy Strawberries

The Red Oak Grove Lutheran Church on the Mower-Freeborn road will host their annual Strawberry Social on Tuesday, June 13. Hours will be 11AM to 1PM and 4-7PM. The Eat In or Take Out menu includes pulled pork, hot dogs, cole slaw, baked beans, strawberries with shortcake along with angel food, ice cream and beverages. There will also be cards and napkins for sale.

My berry patch is full of blossoms, and the berries should be here in a week or two. Strawberries really have a lot going for them. They're a good source for vitamin C, which is helpful for the immune system, and they also have a fair amount of manganese, which is good for the body. The strawberry is comprises about 91 percent water, and one cup has less than 50 calories. They're also a good source for fiber. I think if you add it all up you might say that the strawberry is an ideal food for those on a diet -- low calories, low fat and tasty.

I had a grandmother who died the day before her 90th birthday and she was an absolute berry junkie. I don't think there was a food she enjoyed more than berries. Perhaps those berries contributed to her long life. As a kid I really got a kick out of seeing my old granny wearing pants just once a year and that was when she picked blackberries. She was of the generation that believed women should wear only dresses. She kept a large raspberry and strawberry patch on her property. Grandma used to take trips to Michigan to see her relatives and quite a few pictures show her in pants out picking blueberries.

Here's to the wonderful attributes of the berry. Enjoy the Strawberry Social on June 13.