Seasonal Spotlight: Strawberries

You can smell them before you see them. With a fragrance as alluring as any perfume (they’re members of the rose family), strawberries are among the most exciting of seasonal farmers-market finds. Stock up while you can!

Fauxberry

Strawberries look the part, but are not actually berries. Berries have their seeds on the inside.

EARLY BIRD
Strawberries are usually the first ripe fruit to show up in farmers’ markets in the spring. If you want the very best berries, keep an eye on your local farm stands.

Green is Good

Unripe strawberries are green. They have a firm texture and tart taste, but they’re perfect fruits for pickling.

3.4

The amount in pounds the average American eats in a year. Most are eaten raw while others are baked into pies or made into jam.

200

That’s the number of tiny seeds on the outside of a typical strawberry.

PICK ‘EM YOURSELF

Strawberries are grown all over Pennsylvania. Because they’re labor-intensive to pick, many farmers let you pick your own at a discount.

HIGH AND DRY

It can be tempting to want to hull and wash your berries as soon as you get them home, but wait. Rinse them just before eating. Exposure to water or moisture speeds spoilage.