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Strawberries

(14 Posts)
notnecessarilywiser Sat 06-Jul-19 08:23:21

The strawberries of yesteryear were the size of a large button, had a hull that would pop out if you pulled on the stalk correctly and tasted heavenly. The fact that they were available for only a few short weeks made them all the more special.

Today's strawberries are enormous and almost tasteless; the fact that I can buy them any time of year doesn't really make up for the disappointment. Admittedly I'm talking shop-bought, but it seems that even the organic/premium ranges don't deliver on taste.

Tell me I'm not alone in my nostalgia for a proper strawberry!

NotSpaghetti Sat 06-Jul-19 08:28:20

I think you’ll find some varieties are much better than others. Gransnet discussed it a week or two ago...
Here’s the link which has some suggestions to help you avoid the worst!
www.gransnet.com/forums/food/1262825-English-Strawberries

aggie Sat 06-Jul-19 08:38:04

Scottish strawberries are the tastiest

midgey Sat 06-Jul-19 09:29:16

Err -Staffordshire strawberries are very tasty! grin

EllanVannin Sat 06-Jul-19 09:38:56

Aggie I was about to say that. I bought a punnet of them from Asda on Wednesday----delicious.
It's blackcurrants which have now been in short supply here for years and I don't know why. Shops have had a glut of blueberries which are tasteless. None of those mellow gooseberries around either.

glammanana Sat 06-Jul-19 09:52:35

I bought 2 x punnets of strawberries this week for £3 from a supermarket they where Scottish and very tasty.
We are lucky to have a strawberry farm not to far away and they taste delicious a short picking time but well worth the wait for them to be ready for picking with the DGCs.

MiniMoon Sat 06-Jul-19 10:03:49

I was just talking to my husband about strawberries the other day. I was complaining about not being able to hull them properly any more. I had to cut round the stalks with a knife to remove them.
Strawberries are not the same as they used to be!

sassenach512 Sat 06-Jul-19 10:45:34

I've had the same problem with nectarines this year, small, quite bitter and not as flavoursome

Calendargirl Sat 06-Jul-19 10:48:54

I find the best way to hull strawberries.
Take a plastic drinking straw (I know we are not supposed to use them now). Push the straw up from the bottom of the berry to the top in the centre. If the strawberry is ripe, the stalk should pop out cleanly. ?

Cherrytree59 Sat 06-Jul-19 10:54:56

Grow my own strawberries in pots.
I have in the past used hanging baskets.
Strawberries are very easy to grow.
I was going to say same as Calendargirl re staw method.

Love strawberries ????

DazedAndConfusedByLife Sat 06-Jul-19 12:40:33

We had a few decent strawberries we grew but forgot to pick them immediately and they were eaten overnight. sad

Hilltopgran Sat 06-Jul-19 14:38:02

I grow 4 different varieties of Strawberry, and the smaller ones have the most flavour. Some of the modern varieties do not have a hard centre so do not need it removed. I actually think Raspberries have more flavour, and they are just starting. Red currants and gooseberties are ready, blackcurrants are not ready yet. The only way I can keep up with all the fruit is freezing and making jam as the grandchildren who normally arrive for several weeks at strawberry time are not visiting the UK this year.

Floradora9 Sat 06-Jul-19 14:46:53

My GC take the stalks out poking them through with a straw . We get good local strawberries where qwe live and even better rasps . I will be stockpiling them soon for winter consumption .

notnecessarilywiser Sat 06-Jul-19 16:34:25

Interesting reading - thanks all! And particular thanks for the link, NotSpaghetti ; I must have missed that when it appeared, but will remedy the situation now.