Florida Spring

Around this time every year Florida comes alive with fresh fruit and   vegetables.The signal is the showing of the Plant City strawberries. These berries are red right through and for about two months we have this special treat. In our garden the yellow and green beans are great and the tomatoes are beginning to ripen.

The bananas are maturing and several have begun that transition from a palm tree to a productive plant with hanging stocks of these small but sweet fruit. I marvel at the speed of the growth cycle from these plants. These palms have a crop of one stock and then their life cycle is over.Once you cut the palm another one grows in its place. We have about 15 trees now and started with two. Several times they were frozen off but they always come back.

The flowering trees like the hibiscus and bougainvilia make every street a colorful display.We have been hurricane free since 2005 so the trees and nature has renewed itself.

My friend asked me out for a deep sea fishing trip to fill our freezer with grouper again . Out on the gulf you don't see the beauty of the land this time of year but we experience another gift from Mother Nature, the beauty of the sea.