There is certainly a lot of love in rural Georgia, and, there are many ways to spread that love. With Valentine's Day just behind us, you may have given someone a bouquet of flowers or some sweet treats like chocolate-covered strawberries, but, no matter what, we celebrate our love between each other.
We thought we would spread some love to each of you through our coloring pages this month. Through our coloring pages, you can learn a little bit about strawberries and flowers, both of which many people in rural Georgia love.
Strawberries
Strawberries are popular amongst Georgians for their sweet taste. Strawberry season in Georgia typically starts in April and spans into July. Whether you're making jam, salad, or chocolate-covered strawberries, strawberries are the perfect treat for any occasion.
According to Georgia Grown, there are 130 farms in the state that grow strawberries. Most of them are located in the southern part of the state because of the warmer temperatures.
If you've never made chocolate-covered strawberries, check out this recipe that you can make at home. They are the perfect way to enjoy Georgia's sweet red strawberries!
For this recipe, you will need:
6 ounces semi-sweet chocolate, chopped
3 ounces white chocolate, chopped
1 pound strawberries, washed and dried very well
Here's how to make them:
Put the semisweet and white chocolates into 2 separate heatproof medium bowls. Fill 2 medium saucepans with a couple of inches of water and bring to a simmer over medium heat. Turn off the heat; set the bowls of chocolate over the water to melt. Stir until smooth. (Alternatively, melt the chocolates in a microwave at half power, for 1 minute, stir and then heat for another minute or until melted.)
Once the chocolates are melted and smooth, remove them from the heat. Line a sheet pan with parchment or waxed paper. Holding the strawberry by the stem, dip the fruit into the milk chocolate, lift and twist slightly, letting any excess chocolate fall back into the bowl. Set strawberries on the parchment paper. Repeat with the rest of the strawberries. Dip a fork in the white chocolate and drizzle the white chocolate over the dipped strawberries.
Set the strawberries aside until the semi-sweet chocolate sets. It should take about 30 minutes.
After dipping the strawberries, let the milk chocolate set slightly before drizzling on the white chocolate. You can leave them out for 30 minutes at room temperature, or speed the process by popping them into the refrigerator for 15 minutes.
You can download a coloring page for strawberries and their chocolatey goodness here.
Flowers
We all love receiving a bouquet of flowers, especially on special occasions like Valentine's Day. But, did you know that we wouldn't have beautiful flowers if it were not for pollination. Pretty soon, we will start seeing yellow dust outside. It may be on your car, on your toys, or even on the grass. That yellow dust is known as pollen.
Pollen is produced by male flowers, which is then spread to female flowers by pollinators. Those pollinators may be bees and other insects, birds, wind, or water. As pollen spreads, those flowers produce seeds so that we can have beautiful flowers for years to come.
You can download a coloring page for flowers here.
Check back next month for more coloring pages!