Seasonal Strawberries

I went to the organic farmer’s market recently. Strawberry season in 'Ontario, ari, ario’. Can hardly wait to taste them, after those Ben Johnsons from California all winter (on which, by the way, I would never waste my money).

Imagining the colour, smell, taste, juiciness.

Used to be that tomatoes in winter were like that too: large, that colour red that can signal full ripeness, gorgeous in appearance. But the colour is deceiving. Once touched and smelt, the ripeness reveals itself an illusion: Hard on the outside (vs. sink-your-teeth-into on the inside), dry and no taste.

Why buy them, except maybe to stimulate one's taste imagination?

The winter is long...

Now, however, there are those gorgeous looking and tasting cocktail tomatoes ("Campari" brand) that are not only organic but taste good, even though they are greenhouse grown. Some appear to be grown in Canada, even, though often from Mexico.

The strawberries set out at market look gorgeous. The sign says fresh Ontario grown strawberries and it is the season.

But no smell, feel, taste or juiciness.

Why?

Grown in rows in the fields, under hoops covered in plastic, the equivalent of a bricks and mortar (glass) greenhouse.

At least the farmer is honest when I ask her if that is the case. They bear no relation to the real strawberries grown in the field without plastic covers.

These ersatz strawberries are probably great for the farmer who doesn’t have to sacrifice profit when the weather is not good for growing strawberries (too wet, or too cold, or both); or great for getting a head start.

I wonder if there are any farmers left who grow the old fashioned way, at least when the weather is good? And if so, how do I find them?

For my readers in Toronto: I noticed that there are now flower growers that sell at the Brickworks organic market (on Saturday) and one at CAMH the first Saturday in the month, that do not use pesticides ("organic").

Maybe there could be a place to sell strawberries grown in Ontario without plastic too?