Strawberries

Sure, you can find strawberries year round, but, even more so than most fruits, they really shine when they're in season. For those of us in California, the season is here. Be patient in cooler climates. Strawberries are coming your way soon.

The two most common varieties of strawberry are camarosa and albion. There isn't much of a difference in taste between the two. Albion is a new variety, quickly becoming the most popular choice for California farmers. All of the vendors who sold them seemed really proud to be doing so. I had a pretty good sampling of both camarosa and albion, and, though I found the albion to have a slightly more balanced flavor, both were very enjoyable.

The only other variety I was able to find at the farmers' market was one called a '269'. It was billed as "softer and juicer" than other strawberries. It was. However, the flavor was also softer and less complex than either the albion or camerosa. Make your '69' jokes now. Be my guest.

Look for berries that are a deep brick red. There should be no traces of green or white at the top- this indicates a berry that was picked before full ripeness. Avoid bruised berries, unless you're going to eat them immediately. Then again, you should eat them right away- strawberries loose flavor when refrigerated. The best thing to do is pick some up at a farmers' market, and eat them the same day.

I lie. The best flavor comes from growing your own. However, strawberries are fairly difficult to grow, and yields are small. But you should experiment anyway if you have the space. What you should NEVER do is steal another person's strawberries. Especially if they plan on eating the two small ripe berries in their berry patch right before writing a blog about strawberries. Because that will make a person mad. Mad I say!