Summer king : still life of strawberries

by Tineke Laverman

Tasty strawberries. Fresh strawberries have a high vitamin C content: 64 mg per 100 g. When consumed, fresh strawberries may trigger allergic reactions such as hives, particularly in children. Strawberries are widely used for jam. In the industry, mostly frozen pulp from Poland is used. Strawberries are also used as flavour enhancers in yoghurt, because of their strong aroma. Strawberries contain per 100 grams approximately 6,5 grams of carbohydrates.
The Strawberry Festival originated in 1954, when Father Ivens wanted to promote the cultivation of strawberries in Melsele. He did so with an exhibition of strawberries and a procession that ended with a sacrifice of strawberries on Gaverland, with each grower offering a box of strawberries. The procession took place only 3 times because of the high costs. In 1963, the brass band De Kunstliefde (Love of Art), the Jong Waasland gym (now Gym Waasland) and the football club Svelta Melsele joined forces to hold the Strawberry Festival in a tent on church square. From then on a "Strawberry Princess" was elected every year. This election is the oldest in the country. From 1981 onwards, there was an annual exhibition of strawberries and vegetables in a setting of flowers and plants. The festivities themselves were adapted and so the Strawberry Festivities continued to exist in order to put the strawberry even more in the spotlight. In 1985, Queen Fabiola visited a number of Melseel strawberry growers. After the festivals of