Ode to a strawberry as the berry heralds the coming of summer

The arrival of the strawberry season reminds us winter is on the way out and summer is on its way. Yet buying strawberries is something I wrestle over: should I, or shouldn't I?

Despite their beguiling good looks, they are often a huge disappointment when it comes to eating them. The are often hard and leave an acrid sourness on the palate, tasting as if they were picked before their time.

My heart sang recently when I had a completely different experience with the first punnet of berries this season. They looked sooo good I just had to have them. 

Opening the pack there was this beautiful delicate berry aroma. The perfectly shaped berries were deep crimson red in colour, tantalisingly large yet super sweet and tender with the most delicious lingering flavour — strawberries at their very best.

The stylish label gave little away beyond a name — Field & Flavour. Google didn't yield much more information apart from an Instagram handle — sadly no posts. Ironically I'd bought them in an Asian supermarket, way out of my normal hood at R47 a punnet. I'd happily pay double the price for more.

I’ve never understood why SA can’t grow good strawberries. Strawberries have the alluring  'buy me look' particularly when lined up in rows on the supermarket shelf, but sadly that's often where the joy ends as they don't always deliver on taste.

So cheers to the goodness of Field & Flavour strawberries, I do hope they are locally produced and look forward to the pleasure again — if I can find them.

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