Wild Strawberries
I’ve always loved wild Strawberries, much more than the larger home-grown varieties, perhaps simply because they are unexpected when you find them. A magical surprise that delights the child in me, like finding hidden treasure. Wild Strawberries - Fragaria vesca - can be found growing in woodlands, but also shady back gardens, damp corners and this one in the photo above, that I found growing on a stone wall by the river.
They are smaller than the strawberries we buy or grow, and their taste is less sweet but also concentrated - more strawberry-like! I adore them, but not just because they taste wonderful. I love the little faces of their white-petalled flowers, and the fact that the whole plant looks miniature; I love seeing the familiar leaf shapes, and crouching down, ruffling the leaves as I rifle for splashes of red to see if any little jewels are ripe. Right now, throughout June and into July, you can find wild strawberries flowering and fruiting. They are small plants, low-growing, and require an openness to find them - open eyes, open heart, open mind.
Last weekend I celebrated the summer solstice and the full moon, and it felt wonderful and magical that they were happening in the same small stretch of days. June’s full moon is often called the Strawberry Moon, reflecting this particular season and the beginning of the strawberry harvest, farmed or wild. This year the solstice definitely had a childlike energy for me, a simplicity and a sweetness.
In Braiding Sweetgrass Robin Wall Kimmerer writes ‘Even now, after more than fifty Strawberry Moons, finding a patch of wild strawberries still touches me with a sensation of surprise, a feeling of unworthiness and gratitude for the generosity and kindness that comes with an unexpected gift all wrapped in red and green…Strawberries first shaped my view of a world full of gifts simply scattered at your feet.’
I remember being a child, enthralled by Roald Dahl’s The Minpins and hearing of the tantalising sight that might meet Little Billy if he dared to sneak out of the house and go into the forest. ‘ “Wild strawberries,” the Devil whispered back. “The whole floor of the forest is carpeted with wild strawberries, every one of them luscious and red and juicy-ripe. Go and see for yourself.” ’
Strawberry prints
I have made a small batch of lino-prints on locally made Tidekettle paper, celebrating wild strawberries. Two prints, one called Strawberry Moon which features the plant alongside a dancing rabbit, and oak leaves to symbolise the height of Oak’s power at Midsummer, and a smaller Strawberry print of the detail of a wild strawberry leaf.
Strawberry Moon (22x16cm) costs £12 plus p&p, there are 6 prints available: 2x pale pink, 2x freckled grey-blue, 1x translucent ivory, 1x translucent ivory speckled with seaweed.
Strawberry (15.5x11cm) costs £8 plus p&p, there are 4 prints available on very pale pink.
These prints are each unique, handmade and are currently only available here. They are perfect for your wall or your altar space, and to bring the generous, childlike energy of wild strawberries into your life. If you would like to purchase please message me; after a week I will extend these pieces to my social media following too.
Upcoming dates
I have 2 events coming up in July, the posters are below. If you would like to come to either (or both) please message me and secure your spot. Expect lots of summer foraging chat, time for Q&As, sipping herbal teas and perhaps foraged herbal cakes/treats too!
I’ll be posting again on Sunday to my Wild Revival membership about more in-season wild plants. If you’d like to get more of my teachings and make more plant allies this season, consider signing up to my paid membership - there are annual and monthly subscription options, and once you’re in you can view my archive too! Click below to upgrade.
See you in the sun,
Jo xx