Whats wrong with strawberries these days

[puddicat]

Just bought some strawberries from my local supermarket they look good but taste sour and havent much taste, i am finding this a problem quite regularly when i shop at supermarkets not just this one.Is it because they are forced on and we have them all year round!

[SRH]

Could well be. I stopped buying them because even the lovely fat evenly-shaped expensive ones were tasteless. Then last week I bought a punnet of Sainsbury's Basic strawberries for 99p - and they were gorgeous, really sweet and juicy. They are only classed as 'Basic' because they are all funny shapes - but I reckon the little ones are sweeter anyway.

[Goodsoulette]

Out of season, when you buy fruit out of season it wont taste as good. Give it a month, find a local fruit farm and they will taste delicious.

[funnygirl]

I think they are being artificially grown!!

Hence the no taste!

[fabemmy]

I also think that the english ones are much much Better. well more tasty and juicy.

[heathfield]

Just wait till next month when the variety 'Ava' are on sale in your local supermarket. You'll be able to recognise them because they'll be the only ones that still have their white flower petals. True sweet strawberry taste. Developed in Scotland, where the best strawberries come from! ;-)

[theonlyone]

Went to Sainsburys and bought English
strawberries and tomatoes ..get them
out the fridge and let them warm up
for a while they taste much nicer ..

[pastafreak]

The most common variety in the supermarkets is "Elsanta"...looks nice but flavourless. I agree with SRH...the tiny Sainsbury's basics are surprisingly good. Also...theonlyone...never put tomatoes in the fridge-it makes them mushy and ruins them. I can never understand why the supermarkets do that.

[Whickerman]

They grow and sell them locally here - and they're terrific.

[Coldicote]

In recent years many people have expressed concern about irradiated food - a process that kills bacteria, delays ripening and rotting and so on. That's probably what is happening with out-of-season imported strawberries and other fruit. Consequently they look lovely but they're hard, sour and not worth buying. I agree with puddycat and certainly won't be buying any more. There's a lot to be said for home grown seasonal produce - the real thing!

[Drisgirl]

I bought some out of Tescos today but i just know they are gonna be sour.

I am in the priveleged position of living in the heart of berry picking country and the strawsers and rasps you get here are second to none.

A few back when i took my kids out on the fields (prior to the eastern european Invasion) I picked specials which were for Markies -they were of the highest quality so you had to mwega careful picking them -but hey you got loads of money if you could be bothered with the specials.

It was dodgy tho -i remember J picking all morning and filled a crate -she was just young and some robbing swine stole it -she was gutted -if I could have got my hands on them -grrr !

Happy days at the berries tho -picked for your school uniform and every day was sunny and the banter across the dreels was only second to Billy Connelly -thanks for the memories !

[puddicat]

Where are you Dris i am in fife and when i was courting a dundee guy we used to pass a friut farm on the road to dundee

[Drisgirl]

im in Blairgowrie puddi -the one and only berry picking place lol !!!

saw you were Fae Fife (sorry couldtn resist -wasnt she in The Rezillos lol) a few threads ago -you central or coastal?

[gina32]

the heart of strawberry picking country is tiptree in essex, thats where producers get a lot of english strawberries from and considered the best

[puddicat]

I am in Glenrothes worse luck not excaly scenic, blairgowerie lovely!!!

[Drisgirl]

O Glenrothes -unlucky lol !!!

Gina -we maybe arent the main poducers now but decadedes ago we were deemd to have the best soil and climate (?) for soft fruit -still very successful -the berry fields o Blair -well know folk song.

Think everyone can produce to the same standards now with the polytunnels and such like.

[puddicat]

but Dris we do the best raspberrries in the world accordin to these top chefs dont u think

[Drisgirl]

Yip -cant argue with that or can ya lol !!!