Summer Tastes like Fresh Strawberry Sundaes

I grew up in the shadow of a big city, Sacramento. While our mailing address said Sacramento, as a young girl tiny hamlet of Florin was truly home.

By high school the nearby Cow Town of Elk Grove became my stomping ground. Back then it made more sense to bus us to Elk Grove than it did to build a high school in Florin. Elk Grove School district, geographicaly speaking, was the largest school district in the state. Yet there was only one high school. With the boom of “country” living, today Elk Grove District has 15 high schools serving an estimated 20,000 students.

Before World War II Florin was billed as The Strawberry Capital of the World. Japanese immigrants began arriving in the little whisper of a town and looked out at vast acreage of farm land going to waste. They began planting strawberry fields that flourished in the flat, fertile soil. What began as small-scale farming in the 19th century blossomed into thriving farms. Annually 245 rail cars left the depot loaded down with both strawberries (the largest crop) and grapes. Sadly those same rail cars became a symbol of Japanese interment.

After the war, Florin’s boom never fully recovered. While I can remember strawberry fields and vineyards dotting the landscape, it wasn’t nearly what had once been. Eventually people in nearby cities began seeking a rural existence. Abandoned farms left by the interned Japanese were bought up. Soon homes, schools, churches and shopping centers were built where strawberries once grew. It wasn’t long before Sacramento and Florin grew into one big cluster and the people who once built Florin had all but disappeared.

I think about the march of progress and the impact it has on our communities. Today is Fresh Strawberry Sundae Day. There’s a part of me, when I think of fresh strawberries, that wishes communities like Florin could return to those carefree days without all the traffic and noise and strife that city life seems to bring.

Strawberry Sundaes with Fresh Berries
1 cup fresh Strawberries
6 scoops Strawberry Ice Cream
Strawberry Sundae Sauce
Whipped Cream
Red Sugar Crystals, optional

Clean, hull and slice strawberries. Taste, sprinkle with sugar to sweeten if necessary

Place two or three scoops of strawberry ice cream in each Sundae Bowl. Scatter some sliced berries around the ice cream. Drizzle the tops of each scoop with Strawberry Sundae Sauce. Finish with whipped cream and a few more strawberries and a kiss of red sugar crystals if desired. Enjoy.

---

Thus says the LORD:
They made kings in Israel, but not by My authority;
They established princes, but without My approval.
With their silver and gold they made idols for themselves,
To their own destruction
Hosea 8:4