35mi South of Fresno

There they were, in all their glory. It was the second time I had visited, and they offered themselves to me freely, beautiful in the gentle morning sun. I couldn't wait to take them home and run my lips over their taut skin, and enjoy the sweetness of their presence.

fresh from the farmer's marketLocally grown, organic strawberries will be the death of me, I tell you. And at $5 for three little baskets, my wallet isn't too appreciative either. But I will never, ever go back to those "giant California strawberries". The ones that are a different species bred for ship-ability, size, and shelf-life, which make them cheaper in the supermarkets. But those features come at a different cost: taste, juicyness, and overall strawberry-ness.

Try it. You'll know what I mean.

1 comment:

Ben said...

I should follow up with this. I just learned that a friend's family owns a large giant-strawberry farm. I should clarify that it's just my opinion on the taste of these organic ones -- clearly they are a niche market for those of us who want to splurge on such edibles. Supermarket giant-strawberries have their place in mainstream appeal, and they are definitely cheaper, and they keep a lot longer than these little red morsels I bought.

As I understand it, strawberry plants grow like weeds and are fairly hardy. Maybe I'll try to grow some in a few pots on the balcony. Eh, maybe not.