Thursday, July 25, 2013

The Trail of Wild Strawberries

A while back I talked about the patches of wild strawberries growing in my grandmother's yard.  They're everywhere. 

And I haven't gotten any fruit from any of them.

The thing is, lawn mowers happen.  The strawberry plants get cut down right as they're about to start delivering their glorious, succulent fruit.  The fruit that makes your mouth water when you simply think about it.  The juicy, red -

Ok, you get the point.  It's amazing.

And none of that awesomeness was occurring in the yard.

There's good news, though.  See, there's this bike trail that runs along the highway. Sometimes the trail is straight, and sometimes it meanders away from the highway for a stretch before heading back.  It goes over bridges and hills.

A perfectly paved bike trail with dense forest right beyond the path.

It's a scenic bike trail, and well worth using... even if all you're doing is walking on it.  Especially if all you're doing is walking on it!

You see, when you walk the bike trail, you see things that bikers tend to miss as they zoom by.

Like strawberries.

A miniscule but deep red strawberry, less than half the size of my fingertip.
mmMMMmmmm....

I know.  It's tiny, as I mentioned in the previous post.  Really tiny.  But it's totally worth it.  So are its beautiful ruby red friends that also share the space along the bike trail.

There are a bunch.  So many, in fact, that every time I walk the bike trail I have a snack.  Animals will get to them, but there are so many this year, that there are plenty left over for the rest of us.

Another glorious thing about the North Shore of Lake Superior!

In Faribault, I often picked violets (both flowers and leaves) for salad.  Here I have strawberries.  What wild, edible plants grow near you?

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