# Strawberries are in season **URL:** \ **Category:** Cafe Society\ **Created:** [June 16, 2015, 1:15am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/strawberries-are-in-season/722636 "2015-06-16T01:15:10Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 10\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![Spud](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/spud/32/347_2.png) [@Spud](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Spud)\ **Post date:** [June 16, 2015, 1:15am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/strawberries-are-in-season/722636/1 "2015-06-16T01:15:10Z")
There is an active thread discussing the difference between grocery and home grown tomatoes. I never really thought there was that much difference between store bought and fresh strawberries, but my wife and daughter went to a “you pick” place and brought home a big box of fresh strawberries. Maybe it is just psychological, but damn they are good. I’m from the school of a Bisquick type of shortcake (more dense… just like me) with strawberries and cream (maybe half and half) but my wife likes the type of sponge like cake and whipped cream. I got a good Angel Food cake from the bakery, and used some real whipped cream and it was amazing. It has been a long time since I’ve had fresh strawberries. My parents grew them but my dog was a bigger fan than we were and also quicker so we rarely got to pick any before she got to them. ---
**Author:** ![Jeff\_Lichtman](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/jeff_lichtman/32/1531_2.png) [@Jeff\_Lichtman](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Jeff_Lichtman)\ **Post date:** [June 16, 2015, 7:54am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/strawberries-are-in-season/722636/2 "2015-06-16T07:54:30Z")
Most store-bought strawberries have the same problem as store-bought tomatoes: they’re bred for shipping and storage, not for flavor. Store-bought strawberries are usually big, fibrous, white on the inside and nearly tasteless. The farm that your wife and daughter went to raise strawberries that are bred for taste. ---
**Author:** ![samclem](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/a9a28c/32.png) [@samclem](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/samclem)\ **Post date:** [June 16, 2015, 10:56am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/strawberries-are-in-season/722636/3 "2015-06-16T10:56:23Z")
They just came in here in Northern Ohio about the last week+. No comparison with Florida/California stuff, which are best described by **Jeff** above. It’s only a shame that they are here for such a short time. ---
**Author:** ![FairyChatMom](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/fairychatmom/32/21906_2.png) [@FairyChatMom](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/FairyChatMom)\ **Post date:** [June 16, 2015, 12:15pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/strawberries-are-in-season/722636/4 "2015-06-16T12:15:17Z")
Sadly, our strawberry season is done. I’d intended to get a few quarts cleaned and frozen, but the weather was so rainy, my favorite local farm wasn’t picking them. I got some early enough to put up a batch of strawberry jam, and we had some to eat, but I’m bummed that I don’t have any for future eating… C’mon peach season!! ---
**Author:** ![troubledwater](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/f4b2a3/32.png) [@troubledwater](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/troubledwater)\ **Post date:** [June 17, 2015, 1:09am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/strawberries-are-in-season/722636/5 "2015-06-17T01:09:44Z")
Picky eater here. Until a year ago, I would have told you I didn’t like strawberries. But I bought some Seascape to plant in my garden because, what the heck. Turns out I _do_ like strawberries. These are red and juicy all the way through, no foamy core to carve out. ---
**Author:** ![samclem](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/a9a28c/32.png) [@samclem](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/samclem)\ **Post date:** [June 17, 2015, 2:11am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/strawberries-are-in-season/722636/6 "2015-06-17T02:11:33Z")
> [@troubledwater](#): > > Picky eater here. Until a year ago, I would have told you I didn’t like strawberries. But I bought some Seascape to plant in my garden because, what the heck. Turns out I _do_ like strawberries. These are red and juicy all the way through, no foamy core to carve out. A data point which is useful. Thx. ---
**Author:** ![bump](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/7c8e57/32.png) [@bump](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/bump)\ **Post date:** [June 17, 2015, 3:36pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/strawberries-are-in-season/722636/7 "2015-06-17T15:36:45Z")
> [@Jeff\_Lichtman](#): > > Most store-bought strawberries have the same problem as store-bought tomatoes: they’re bred for shipping and storage, not for flavor. Store-bought strawberries are usually big, fibrous, white on the inside and nearly tasteless. The farm that your wife and daughter went to raise strawberries that are bred for taste. I don’t even think they’re bred for shipping and storage; they’re just picked way, way too early. Really ripe, sweet strawberries don’t really keep- you pretty much have to eat or use them that day or the next. So if you go to a picking farm, you can pick them as ripe as YOU like, but if you’re buying Driscoll’s strawberries at the grocery, they likely picked them far earlier than you would have, because otherwise, the berries would have turned to mush on the way to the store. Tomatoes are much the same; even a homegrown tomato from a standard commercial variety will taste amazingly better if picked at the peak of ripeness, as opposed to picked while still green and artificially ripened using ethylene gas. Strawberries in June must be a northern thing; they’re long gone around here- the season ends around the end of April here (but it starts in February!) ---
**Author:** ![pulykamell](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/pulykamell/32/3166_2.png) [@pulykamell](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/pulykamell)\ **Post date:** [June 17, 2015, 4:04pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/strawberries-are-in-season/722636/8 "2015-06-17T16:04:20Z")
> [@Jeff\_Lichtman](#): > > Most store-bought strawberries have the same problem as store-bought tomatoes: they’re bred for shipping and storage, not for flavor. Store-bought strawberries are usually big, fibrous, white on the inside and nearly tasteless. The farm that your wife and daughter went to raise strawberries that are bred for taste. Yep. Strawberries and tomatoes are the two supermarket items that are, for me, just not worth buying because of the above. You either have to grow them yourself or find a good farmer’s market or you-pick-'em place. Unfortunately, I seem to have no luck growing strawberries. Everything else in the garden grows fine, but strawberries have stymied me the last five years I’ve tried to grow them. I planted four plants this year, of different varieties, and I’ve seen exactly one strawberry. That’s about how many I’ve managed per year in the last five attempts. I have no idea if I’m just doing something wrong or if critters are getting to them first, but my plants never get much bigger than maybe eight leaves or so. I might try planting a couple more in different areas around the yard, but nothing’s worked so far. ---
**Author:** ![Chefguy](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/chefguy/32/138_2.png) [@Chefguy](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Chefguy)\ **Post date:** [June 18, 2015, 3:30am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/strawberries-are-in-season/722636/9 "2015-06-18T03:30:31Z")
There’s a type around here called Hood River, or “Hoodies” for short. They’re super sweet and only around for a couple of weeks. We have our own patch and have had three pickings so far. Wonderful stuff. ---
**Author:** ![Qadgop\_the\_Mercotan](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/qadgop_the_mercotan/32/83_2.png) [@Qadgop\_the\_Mercotan](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Qadgop_the_Mercotan)\ **Post date:** [June 18, 2015, 1:13pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/strawberries-are-in-season/722636/10 "2015-06-18T13:13:33Z")
My cousin, who rents a few acres from me to raise crops, just dropped off 26 quarts of fresh strawberries from his farm yesterday. Next came massive gorging on the product, today the Mrs. harvests rhubarb to use in making pie with the strawberries. Also: dipping the strawberries in high quality balsamic vinegar and powdered sugar will commence tonight.