Know How to Buy Strawberries
What to look for When Buying Strawberries in the Store or Market
Strawberries are a year round offering in many produce departments, but how do you know which strawberries are the best?
Strawberries are considered one of the premier fruits of summer. With the wonders of modern marketing and transportation, strawberries are coming to your local produce department in record numbers, year round. This is good news for your taste buds, your health, and your pocketbook. What was once an almost sinful indulgence in winter, imported strawberries are now reasonably priced, flavorful, and arrive at your local market in pretty good shape.
What to Look for When Buying Fresh Strawberries
A good strawberry will be bright red in color, particularly on the shoulder and at the cap of leaflets around the stem. The cap will be green, and the berry will have a distinct strawberry aroma. The flesh will be firm but not mushy, with an even sprinkling of seeds. Although large, showy strawberries are beautiful to look at, smaller strawberries are often more flavorful. Look for a strawberry with evenly spaced seeds along the bottom tip, and no dark spots.
If looking at a container of strawberries, discard any that are seeping strawberry juice, or contain strawberries with obvious dark spots, brown spots, or mildew. Often prepackaged strawberries will have the less desirable strawberries toward the bottom, so check the bottom of the container before buying.
Using Frozen Strawberries
Frozen strawberries are often an excellent choice when fresh is unavailable or too expensive. Reasonably priced, they have come a long way from the soupy, mashed product of a couple of decades ago. Although you may not want to use them as a topping for a strawberry pie, they are excellent when used in a parfait, baked goods, ice cream, and even salads.
What to Look for When Buying Local or Pick Your Own Strawberries
More and more farm cooperatives are including strawberries as local product offerings, and local strawberries are usually fresher than their imported counterparts. Local farmer's markets and pick-your-own operations are a great way to obtain fresh, flavorful strawberries in bulk for canning and preserving.
When picking your own strawberries, explore under the broad leaves at the bottom of the plant for the ripest selections. Strawberries will not continue to ripen once picked, so what you pluck from the vine is what you will be eating. Avoid bruised fruit, or fruit with white spots. Snip or twist the fruit from the stem above the cap. Never pull. Pulling the fruit bruises it unnecessarily. Container your strawberries carefully, and use them promptly to get the best benefit from their stores of vitamin C.
Strawberries will stay fresh and flavorful in your refrigerator for four days. Perishable by nature, they are best if eaten within a couple of days of purchasing or picking. Freeze or process any extra as soon after picking as possible.
