More than any other supermarket produce item, the strawberry represents, for me, why it is we should eat seasonally and locally. When you buy a strawberry at any other time of the year than summer, you'll be eating a fruit that's been shipped hundreds of miles. So to survive its journey, it will have been picked before it has ripened. Very likely, it will have been greenhouse grown without the direct rays of the sun to bring a warm bloom to its cheeks. What you will pop into your mouth is a thing with the texture of a radish and the taste of a...

Nothing.

And for this pleasure, it will have used a huge amount of fossil fuel, in production and in delivery to your expectant mouth. Americans each consume, per year, per citizen, 400 gallons through agriculture alone, a close second to the fuel we use in our cars.

Just add up what requires petroleum to bring food to your plate. The actual machinery and equipment - the tractors, harvesters, combines, sprayers, irragators, tillers, balers - take up less than the real culprits that consume more than a quarter of farming energy: the synthetic fertilizers, herbicides and pesticides which will in some measure be transferred into your body. Then there's the fuel cost of refrigeration, packaging and shipping.

All this for - in the case of the strawberry - a tasteless crunch.

What happens to the essential strawberry-ness of that fruit happens to most vegetables and fresh produce that has had to be shipped hundreds of miles from source to your plate because we demand a wide choice in foodstuff.

Americans who buy their produce from supermarkets have little idea of the true flavor of fresh fruit and vegetables. In France, buying strawberries isn't just an exercise in choosing the best looking fruit. You have the glorious chance to decide on your flavor-of-the-hour: there are many more than just one kind of strawberry. Mara des Bois has the illusive, musky taste of wild strawberries (which in Europe are packed with flavor), Arabelle is good for fruit tartes, and Charlotte best for jam. These are only the three most well known. There are many more varieties and flavors.

So if you want a true strawberry, head out to the fields and pick your own. Or grow your own. Just don't throw your money at strawberries that have had to travel.

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1 Comment

1. The Food Scribe

   Amen. Amen. Amen.
   But, if you find yourself suckered into buying some less than flavorful ones, sprinkle with a little sugar and mint and let them macerate an hour. Or mix some with pomegranate syrup and top vanilla ice cream...