Every morning our golden retriever, Penny, and I go out in the back yard to "see what's going on". We usually play a little ball, and I check to make sure the birdbath is filled. I water the plants if necessary, and inspect the trees for pests. Penny follows along happily, chasing lizards and rolling in the grass.
This morning, I picked a few berries from the strawberry tree to enjoy with my morning coffee. It's just a young tree that we planted a couple years ago; eventually, it should grow to about 25 feet. Also known as Jamaica cherry, the strawberry tree (Muntingia calabura) is so named because of its small, white flowers resembling those of a strawberry plant.
The fruits are about the size of a blueberry. But the best part of all is the flavor! These little berries taste just like cotton candy!
We discovered this tree on our first trip to Mounts Botanical Garden. You can read about our recent visit to this lovely oasis in the city here. As soon as I tasted one of the fruits from this tree, I just had to find one for my own back yard. A trip to our favorite nursery the following week proved to be successful, and we brought our strawberry tree home. Now, each time I put one of these little red berries in my mouth and taste its sweetness, I am reminded of that heavenly spun sugar and fun times at the fair -- a sweet memory of childhood!
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