strawberries

Sadly strawberry season is almost over. We have made the best of it and it would not surprise me if between me, Stella and Kaspar we have taken care of approximately 40 pounds of the sweet, juicy goodness. Strawberries here are absolutely spectacular, because most of them are not grown commercially and never shipped much further then the local market or even better, just sold on the side of the highway, right next to the field. Highways here are just a two lane road, paved, but just wide enough for one lane each way and traffic outside of Riga can hardly be called that. So, it’s really awesome to be able to stop on the side of the road, pick up a box of strawberries and have the farmer even trust you enough to say – next time you drive by this way, drop the empty box on the side of the field there, would you?

In the beginning I was reluctant to give Stella strawberries. I had heard somewhere that babies can be very sensitive and even allergic to strawberries. But after a while I began to feel guilty, especially when all the berries were disappearing into my own mouth one after another and Stella was just reaching, reaching for them, but never quite got there. So, I began by giving her one berry, then a few with a banana and the next day a few more with some oatmeal… and before I knew it she was eating strawberries and covering herself in red juice and making funny faces and there didn’t seem to be a problem with any allergies or anything like that whatsoever. Phew!