Dear List, My alpine strawberries have come in with force this year and I'm deliriously happy picking and eating them. I usually do just that --- pick 'em and pop 'em in my mouth, but I have so darn many of them that I'd like to share them with others. However, whenever I wash them, before giving them to friends and relatives, they all turn to mush! Literally strawberry mush. What's this about? How do I avoid this? Any help out there from the excellent gardeners on this list? Carolyn Zone 7a Bethesda _________________________________________________________________ Chat with friends online, try MSN Messenger: http://messenger.msn.com