SUMMER FRUITS

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Globalization brings comfort of possibility to enjoy various fruits of any seasons anytime but the best local fruits still have to wait according to the natural cycles. For summer, red fruits like cherries, strawberries and raspberries are at their best tastes in Holland : not only sweet but also stunningly beautiful.



(photo : http://www.dehoenderik-tricht.nl)


(photo: www.50plusser.nl)

I usually try to go to places where I could pick those berries by myself. It is more for the "feeling good" than simply buying the fruits in supermarkets. In Holland many places open their gardens for public in summer. They are usually a kind of organic farm that promotes back to nature and everything natural. So they have not only fruits but also vegetable and delicious home made non-preservative ice creams. Some even have bed and breakfast facilities.





I think this kind of recreational farming initiatives are very good for an agricultural country like Indonesia. I know in Java there are already few agricultural tourism sites. Probably more places with locations closer to big cities are good, especially with attention for children education about agricultural life and provide alternative for family outings so they don't have to come back to malls every weekends. Make these farm affordable. In Holland most farms are free and we pay only for the fruits that we harvest. The "feeling good" effect is free although I think it is the priceless aspect which actually the most expensive you can think of. It doesn't give impression that they do this only for business. It is about passion for nature. Most farms here run by families and relatively small scale initiatives.

Back to the summer fruits, for the Father Day on 21 June, I tried a receipt from "the American domestic guru" Martha Stewart, Strawberry Cake. This turned to be a treat of the day and dissapeared in a matter of hours. Will try another receipts next time.


(photo : www.marthastewart.com)




A small effort to have strawberry on my own balcony.

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