Tis’ the season for strawberries. I used to pick them at a local strawberry farm, but now I purchase pre-picked berries.
I made freezer jam last week. While cleaning the berries I noticed this sweet berry shaped like a heart.
I have been listening to a book entitled Braiding Sweetgrass: Indigenous Wisdom, Scientific Knowledge and the Teachings of Plants by Robin Wall Kimmerer. This is an excellent, non-fiction book. Robin Wall Kimmerer is a gifted story teller and an amazing botanist.
In her book she states, “In Potawatomi, the strawberry is ode min, the heart berry. We recognize them as the leaders of the berries, the first to bear fruit.” She goes on to talk about the legend of strawberries.
I smiled when I saw this berry, thought of the Potawatomi story of the strawberry, gave thanks, and then used it for my jam!