Strawberry Disappointment

pesky2

paulwf wrote: »

Actually Elsanta and Jubilee are exactly the same price at M&S and the same pack size. And guess what...when sold side by side the sales of Elsanta far outsell those of Jubilee! I've no idea why, although the Elsantas to be fair are fairly good.

The very first crop of the season of British strawberries they had were a "limited edition" pack grown in Yorkshire, wish I knew the variety as they were the best strawberries I have ever tasted!

I lived in Sweden for a couple of years and you could buy "smultron" a small type of wild strawberry in paper bags from street sellers and they were a real treat. Over here it all seems to be quantity and price over quality.

I lived in Sweden too and their strawberries often sold by the side of the road were gorgeous i used to cycle down for them daily:j

pesky2

Strawberries vary so much in taste last Tuesdays from Tesco were lovely English Notts then the last 2 punnets on Weds were Scottish and not so nice which was a suprise


Most of the time they just taste of water and you are right about the stalks

justevi

We have had strawberries in garden for years but have to admit they dont exactly get a lot of care and attention lol. We just let them spread and do what they want! Usually birds & slugs get a few tho in the past we have bought stuff to cover them with little effect. I was also given the tip to save eggshells and crush them to sprinkle between plants as slugs/snails wont go over them but apart from a half hearted attempt havent really put this into practice.
This year we have been busy with other things and apart from sending hubby out to weed them when they first flowered we have done nothing with them - yep, you guessed it, we have had the best crop ever! Has it just been a good year for them or do they thrive on neglect? lol we have lost very few to birds or slugs, very odd!

jenniewb

Just to complicate things further!

The sweetness of strawberrys is not just from the variety, but also from the direct sun light which also enhances the taste- if you find the weather has gotten cooler over the past week or so, its best to wait until they are either reduced in price to one your happy with (then use them for ice cream, jam or cooking) or wait until the weather heats up and sun begins to show. Once it hits 25 degrees outside, its usually safe to buy. But each to their own, some people may prefer sweeter still, others may prefer sharp.

I would also say that another reason some strawberrys are sweeter is because the soil they are planted in is actually treated with a sort of sugar that the strawberrys absorb to sweeten them. Not all are like this, but some are, and infact it adds to the price as it increases the pests which try to eat the fruit before you can get to it! It also causes the fruit to rot earlier then normal so shorter shelf life, not a favorite of manufacturers but is used at times to sweeten things up.

I would say the variety makes a difference, but infact, one week Jubilee for example may be as sweet as they come, and the next week, its like they have been picked too early- its not just the varity that makes the difference.