▲ Strawberry.

Once upon a time, there lived a mother and a son. They were living happily together, but one day, the mom got sick and could not even walk. The devoted son got all the medicines he could to cure his mom, but she didn＊t get better at all. On a snowy day, the mother told the son she wanted to eat strawberry.

The son went to the strawberry field in the back of his house and prayed hard for seven days. Then, a miracle happened. The strawberry plants bore fruits on a cold winter day. The mother ate the strawberries and recovered from the illness. They lived happily ever after.§

This is an old tale in Korea. Until a few decades ago, eating strawberry in winter was beyond imagination. However, it has now become a familiar scene, as if strawberry was a fruit of winter.

Nonsan city is the largest strawberry producer in Korea, taking up 14 % of the total output. For people in Nonsan, winter is a high season for strawberry harvest.

This time of the year, fields in the small village of Yangchon-myeon, Nonsan, are embellished with small red fruits.

Strawberry cultivation in Nonsan dates back to the 1960＊s. In 1967, strawberry seedlings were first planted in outdoor fields. Since then, the growth period has shortened with the development of agricultural technology and farmers＊ efforts. Strawberries produced in Nonsan are now distributed nationwide to Seoul and Jeolla Province. More recently, they were exported to Indonesia.

Currently, Nonsan produces about 27,000 tons of strawberries a year from 870 ha fields. Strawberries from Nonsan are firm and high in sugar because they are grown in wide fertile lands under lots of sunlight. Moreover, they are grown in an environmentally-friendly way. Natural enemies and microbial pesticides are used to protect strawberries from harmful insects or diseases.

The Nonsan city government has hosted an annual strawberry festival in mid-April since 2001. This year, 550,000 people came to Nonsan for the five-day festival launched on April 3 and enjoyed various strawberry-themed programs. Among those, strawberry picking, strawberry cake tasting and strawberry bibimbap (rice with wild herbs and vegetables) tasting events were popular.

Strawberries are not just a good-looking fruit, but also a healthy fruit. Thanks to a wide range of health benefits strawberries offer, it is often said the more strawberries you eat the more beautiful you become. Strawberry is often called the ※reservoir of vitamin C§ because it contains 71 mg of vitamin C per 100g.

The amount is 10 times more than in apple and 1.5 times more than in tangerine. Strawberries are good for recovering and enhancing physical strength by activating the adrenal cortex, which controls hormones. Rich fibers and pectin contained in strawberries relieve constipation by stimulating the movement of intestines and activate the secretion of anti-stress hormones.

Anthocyanin rich in strawberries is a great antioxidant that protects blood vessels from free oxygen radicals and stimulates the generation of retinal cells. This contributes to relieving eyestrain and improving vision. This winter, get healthier and younger by adding more Nonsan strawberries to your  diet.