Today should be the start of The Wimbledon Tennis Championships but like many other sporting events this year, it has been cancelled due to the global pandemic. Wimbledon is closely associated with strawberries and each year 23,000 kilos are served which would stretch 37 miles from Wimbledon to Reading if laid end to end. This year with no fans at Wimbledon, the strawberries destined for Wimbledon are being made into jam.
Strawberry Facts
Strawberries are packed full with vitamin C and have a juicy texture. They look very visually appealing with their bright red colour, have a beautiful aroma and taste amazing especially when eaten in season during June and July. This makes them a very popular fruit especially with children, also due to their sweet taste. Buying fruit and vegetables in season means that they are generally cheaper and are more likely to have been grown locally.
How to grow your own strawberries
Strawberries are a really colourful fruit to grow and easy to pick. Home grown strawberries can taste even better than shop bought ones and children will love to eat them and pick them themselves. You can plant them in old tyres, pots, hanging baskets, on windowsills or straight in the ground. I’ve planted some in an old Wellington Boot in the picture below. Growing strawberries like this is attractive to children and the berries will grow down the sides of the boot, making them easy to pick. Don’t forget to keep them watered!
So remember this Wimbledon week, if you are missing the tennis or just want to get the taste of summer, tuck in to your strawberries whether they are shop bought, from a fruit farm, farm shop, greengrocer or you have grown them yourself. They will taste amazing!
References
- Facilities Management Catering (2020) Wimbledon Facts. Available here https://www.fmccatering.co.uk/the-championships/wimbledon-facts/#:~:text=Wimbledon%20is%20synonymous%20with%20strawberries,%C2%A32.00%20and%20%C2%A32.50.
