Since when are strawberries an ‘everyday essential’ in the depths of winter?

maytime2

Lucy Ann and Coco.
To me the worse thing about tinned fruit and evaporated milk was being made to eat bread and butter with them. The same went for any dessert such as trifle. I vowed as a child that I would never make any children of mine have to go through that.

Oh, no, that’s a step too far! We would have had sandwiches with cold roast meat in them from the day before, followed by tinned fruit (fruit cocktail ) and the sickly Carnation…..

Hear hear, Jane71!

like most people, if I like and can afford something that is in the shops, i will buy it. it's a simple as that.

I think we need to move towards 'can the planet afford it in terms of sustainability' rather than can an individual afford it.

like most people, if I like and can afford something that is in the shops, i will buy it. it's a simple as that.

I d not know what to make of that statement . Shopping has always been a political decisio (I am not talking party political).

From boycotting South African produce during the apartheid regime, to thinking about what the cost anything I buy has been to those who made it, to environmental issues, which cover eating in season, not buying food and then discarding it.

None of this undermines my wholehearted enjoyment of food and interest in exploring new cuisines and new foods.

But all our decisions in life on almost anything are political and there is no way it can be avoided. even choosing to ignore the politics of life is itself a politial decision.

Still not seasonal, I know, and I don’t buy many in winter, but lately I’ve been pleased to find tomatoes grown in Kent, rather than in e.g Spain or the Netherlands. I know they’ll have been grown in polytunnels or glasshouses (same as elsewhere in Europe in winter) but at least I’m supporting our own farmers, rather than anyone else’s.

For your Pimms, darling! 🍹

Lucy Ann and Coco.
To me the worse thing about tinned fruit and evaporated milk was being made to eat bread and butter with them. The same went for any dessert such as trifle. I vowed as a child that I would never make any children of mine have to go through that.

Last week I saw some huge strawberries for sale in the supermarket. Three quarters of each was fruit was bright green and a quarter red, they looked very hard, and, I would imagine, were tasteless. I only buy strawberries in season ie British because oddly, I like strawberries to taste like strawberries.

DrWatson

For the likes of Welbeck, and anyone else who liked that "if i want a raspberry or whatever, i will pay to have one, don't care where it comes from." -- maybe you missed the recent widespread floods, a result of the bonkers weather caused by Global Warming? And it's YOU that is a primary cause, wanting out of season foods flown in to suit your whims?

Which seasonal fruits, on sale now, in January, are grown in the UK? They are all being shipped in from somewhere.

CoolCoco

Tinned fruit cocktail. Yuk.

With a tin of Carnation milk

Tinned fruit cocktail. Yuk.

I am fed up with reading that everything in life is a 'class' issue.

What on earth has what you eat got to do with 'class', (whatever that may be)

i am not particularly young; from what people say, i know i am older than several on here.
nor do i think my whims are destroying the world.
like most people, if i like and can afford something that is in the shops, i will buy it.
it's a simple as that.
maybe certain things were not in the shops at certain times when i was young, but i didn't notice.
maybe i wasn't doing the buying then.
i also think this is largely a class issue.

No, strawberries aren't everyday essentials. They aren't in season. Fruit in season could be classed as everyday.

True, Wheniwasyourage, and less pollution is better than more pollution, but all transport causes pollution and uses finite resources. It’s a bit like Greta Thunberg going all over the world to tell people about global warming.

Surely the difference between the transporting of bananas and strawberries is that bananas can be picked while green and sent by ship whereas strawberries, as well as peas, beans and flowers from Kenya, don't last and so have to come by air, which as we know is much more of a threat to the climate.

I wouldn't eat soft fruit in the winter as it's such a pleasure to eat it in the summer, and also I don't buy brussels sprouts from Morocco in the summer, as we enjoy eating them in the winter so much.

DrWatson

For the likes of Welbeck, and anyone else who liked that "if i want a raspberry or whatever, i will pay to have one, don't care where it comes from." -- maybe you missed the recent widespread floods, a result of the bonkers weather caused by Global Warming? And it's YOU that is a primary cause, wanting out of season foods flown in to suit your whims?

That applies to anyone who uses any product, whether it’s out of season fruit, tea, coffee, almond milk, flour, rice, oil, medications, clothing etc.
Anything that is produced elsewhere and has to be transported here to suit you whims, contributes to global warming.
Speck and beam.

Poppyred

My two little granddaughters have strawberries on their porridge every morning. Also in their packed lunches. So, I suppose they are?

This time of year they are tasteless, white in the middle and hard. Bananas are nutritious and are the same all year. You can't beat English strawberries in season, especially from your own garden.

For the likes of Welbeck, and anyone else who liked that "if i want a raspberry or whatever, i will pay to have one, don't care where it comes from." -- maybe you missed the recent widespread floods, a result of the bonkers weather caused by Global Warming? And it's YOU that is a primary cause, wanting out of season foods flown in to suit your whims?

Talking of ‘in season’, I remember my father driving us to a fruit farm in the season, where plums (for bottling) were 2d a pound! That was very cheap even then, or my folks wouldn’t have bought a lot of them.

FranP

welbeck

i have never thought of or been aware of fruits having seasons, except by reading about it in here and similar.
if i want a raspberry or whatever, i will pay to have one.
don't care where it comes from.
perhaps i am less aware of this as i never cared for strawberries.

Fruit is always in season somewhere in the world, but consider the transport costs to get them here. If you look at the source you can see if they are locally grown, and therefore in season. However, bananas are the main exception - and we provide a good source of income for the tropical growers.

It was 1962, when Japan airlines gifted my father a small crate of satsumas as a special item
In 1970, I walked into a greengrocer, who had them on a special display in December as a novelty item

We had many different varieties of British apples and pears through this time of the year, and we bottled other fruits, such as plums

My brothers could remember when bananas and oranges arrived back at the green grocer's shop after the war. They were very excited! There was a long queue outside.

DH's Aunt used to send him food parcels from Australia containing tinned fruit, a real treat during wartime.

welbeck

i have never thought of or been aware of fruits having seasons, except by reading about it in here and similar. if i want a raspberry or whatever, i will pay to have one. don't care where it comes from. perhaps i am less aware of this as i never cared for strawberries.

You must be very young indeed if you're unaware of seasonal fruits and vegetables!!

Beautiful wrappers too. We used to collect them.

I can remember the joy if you got the special one in the paper wrapper!

FranP, I well remember small citrus such as tangerines (then) being a ‘ Christmas only’ item - we always had one in our stockings, and some in a bowl on the table (but you had to ask!) but hardly ever at other times. I dare say they were available for longer in the shops but in my family it would have been down to cost.