My local greengrocers in Paris laughed when I went on and on about how much I had missed French strawberries (and cheese, and poulet rôti, and foie gras, and the French sense of humor). I was so lucky I came back in June, just during the season for the gariguettes from the south of France.
I returned to Los Angeles and thought I saw some French-style, delicious, non-agro-engineered strawberries at the farmers market the next day. The strawberries were not as huge as the usual bloated, tasteless, watery kind that are almost all you find in the U.S. now. They were marked "organic!" Was there a chance that they were the good sweet strawberries I remember from my childhood?
"I love strawberry season," I said happily, as the merchant put three baskets into my bag.
"Oh, don't worry, I have these all year round," he said.
i grew up in the midwest - I hated fruit my whole life. couldn't understand for the life of me why ANYONE would like it. red Delicious apples are mealy and disgusting, pears are hard and tasteless, strawberries were OK but just if covered in Sugar. and lets not get started on TOMATOS (i only buy cherry or grape tomatos here, at least they have SOME flavor)
then i lived in France - OMIGOD the difference.
the strange, kinda ugly apples of grandma's tree were the most delicious I had ever tasted. juicy amazing pears, strawberries with actual FLAVOR and the slightly tart small cherries that grow on the tree in the backyard that taste amazing in a clafoutis. Oh and jam made from grosseilles - yum
back in the states and even the "organic" fruit still mostly tastes like crap.
so sad
Posted by: michellenyc | 03 July 2008 at 03:12
Yess! That is so true.
My mother says that none of the food tastes the way it did when she was a child. They've changed everything to be convenient for machines.
I hope France never accepts American-style farming.
Posted by: Sedulia | 03 July 2008 at 03:40
I still get fruit from where I grew up and it's delicious. On the other hand, the stuff in the grocery store is awful. I guess I need to learn how to garden myself!
Posted by: mmh | 03 July 2008 at 14:08
I heartily encourage you to visit one of the local farmers' markets (including the Sunday Hollywood Farmers' Market at Sunset/Ivar) where Harry's Berries from Oxnard sells their berries. Get there early for the Gaviota and Seascape varieties... definitely *not* available year-round, and much in demand when their season is upon us.
Do go early, though: I've gotten to the market at the late hour of 9am to find most of their strawberries already sold...
Posted by: llucas | 04 July 2008 at 00:55