Don't you just love a fresh, juicy strawberry? There really is nothing else quite like it. With fast shipping these days, you can get strawberries almost any time now, but it just is not the same as picking that perfectly ripe berry right out of your garden.

Strawberries do not need a lot of skill to grow, and the fresh taste makes it more than worth having a few pots on your patio or a plot in your garden. Fresh strawberries are delicious on their own with a little cream and sugar, or added to other recipes.

Today's strawberries originate from a plant native to America. The large berries we see now are a hybrid of a South American strawberry that was crossed with a North American strawberry. This allowed the southern plant to survive the cooler climates in the north. Strawberries have long been a symbol of health and luxury in Europe.

Strangely enough, strawberries were considered poisonous in Argentina until the middle of the 19th century. While those plants varied greatly in shape, size, and flavor, they all bore the well-known red color and heart-shaped fruit that we all adore so much.

While most people think of eating strawberries raw, there are other recipes you can make with them that are exquisitely delicious. A really easy recipe is to cut the berries into small pieces, then place them in a bowl. Cover the cut up berries with water and sprinkle white granulated sugar over the top generously. Add some ice, and let the whole mixture soak in the refrigerator for several hours. When you are ready to eat it, you will find a lovely cold summer dessert.

Strawberries have a nice, firm texture that many people enjoy. However, some may not be overly fond of the sweetness, or maybe they prefer their foods to have a more complex flavor. If this appeals to you, try the following idea the next time you have strawberries. Set out a small bowl of balsamic vinegar and one of powdered sugar. Take your fresh strawberries and dip them first in one and then the other. The contrasting flavors will enhance each other and build upon the distinctive taste of the berry.

You will also find that tossing strawberries into a spinach salad is a great idea to bring a little bit of color to your diet. Think about mixing up a honey dressing out of rice vinegar, balsamic vinegar, mustard and honey and throwing it all together with spinach, strawberries, caraway seeds and onions for a great light lunch.

Alternatively, you can try this fresh spinach salad. Remove all the stems from the spinach leaves so you only have the tender greens. Slice the strawberries diagonally to create an interesting look. Toss them into the greens with a little Gorgonzola cheese and some tasty homemade croutons for some crunch. Top it all off with a little dab of ranch dressing and some freshly ground black pepper for a delightful salad that is a wonderful marriage of textures and flavors.

Make sure that you do not underestimate the power of strawberries; you will find that with a little bit of effort, they have quite a lot to offer. They really are the ideal berries and they are by far among the most popular.