How to Pick a Strawberry

[iLander]

Actually, strawberry season is almost over, but I thought I'd throw this out there as a PSA

The thing to look at on a strawberry is the seeds. If the seeds are green or tan, then the strawberry was not picked fully ripe. It might taste okay, but not great. If you find one with brown or dark brown seeds, then it is fully ripe and will be delicious. This is tricky, because sometimes they are overripe and the flesh is losing it's red, and starting to look more pink. Also, the strawberry will be mushy. Yuck. Try to pick a package with the most red, firm, dark-seeded strawberries and give it a good sniff to check for moldy smells.

I have grown strawberries many times, so I thought I'd pass it along.

Just sayin'

 

[OneFifty]

Thanks for the tip. I would have never thought to look at the seeds.

I hate picking out fruits and veggies for this reason, but I have to to eat healthy!

 

[marcy]

Thanks iLander. I love good strawberries and get so disappointed when they don't taste too well.

 

[KaeKae]

Thank you for the tip, iLander!
Strawberry season is right around the corner for us. Soon we'll be able to get them by the case at the roadside stands. Yum!

 

[iLander]

You're welcome, onefifty, marcy and KaeKae!

I'm trying to do a series, when a fruit is in season, I'll try to post how to pick it. I'm starting to gather all the bits together;

Here's my how to pick a mango;

[URL='https://www.pricescope.com/community/threads/how-to-pick-a-great-mango.174924/']https://www.pricescope.com/community/threads/how-to-pick-a-great-mango.174924/[/URL]

Here's watermelon, an excerpt from a previous thread;

As someone who has actually grown watermelons, I think I can help you:

Large size watermelons are hybridized for size, not flavor. Go for the medium sized ones, not the giant oval ones. The medium sized, flavorful watermelons are more irregular in shape.

Do not buy a watermelon unless it's yellow on the bottom. If they ripen on the vine, the whitish bottom area will turn medium yellow.

Do not buy them out of season. Season in the US is early to mid summer, like June. Not early fall, like now.

The guy on the side of the road may have bought his watermelons from a wholesale supplier and may not have grown them. Don't fall for the pickup truck.

Thunk the watermelon with your finger, it should sound hollow. A dull thud is a bad on most watermelons except those teeny watermelons. The teeny ones (about 6 inches round) are very meaty, so they don't sound hollow.

 

[CJ2008]

I LOVE this list!

More please!

 

[Deactivated member 42515]

Uhhhhwahhhh??? Strawberry season is almost over??? I didn't even know it had begun! Danggit!!!

 

[Deactivated member 42515]

Oh and I wanted to add that I admire your advice and knowledge iLander! Thank you!!

 

[Dancing Fire]

Uhhhhwahhhh??? Strawberry season is almost over??? I didn't even know it had begun! Danggit!!!

no it isn't over ...the best tasting Strawberries (June-July) comes from Watsonville,Ca. ...

 

[Deactivated member 42515]

Uhhhhwahhhh??? Strawberry season is almost over??? I didn't even know it had begun! Danggit!!!

no it isn't over ...the best tasting Strawberries (June-July) comes from Watsonville,Ca. ...

Danggit DF, is that where you live? And I have to go there to get the best strawberries right?

 

[Dancing Fire]

Uhhhhwahhhh??? Strawberry season is almost over??? I didn't even know it had begun! Danggit!!!

no it isn't over ...the best tasting Strawberries (June-July) comes from Watsonville,Ca. ...

Danggit DF, is that where you live? And I have to go there to get the best strawberries right?

i live about 2.75 hr drive north of Watsonville.

YT,i'll trade you for some giant size Washington Red Delicious apples.Red Delicious are the best tasting apple on earth...

 

[JewelFreak]

iLander, super advice -- thanks! I never knew how to tell if they're good, except if they look red, & I get faked out often.

How about melon, like cantaloupe? You're supposed to feel if the end is soft, right? Maybe I do it wrong; I get faked out there too.

--- Laurie

 

[Deactivated member 42515]

Uhhhhwahhhh??? Strawberry season is almost over??? I didn't even know it had begun! Danggit!!!

no it isn't over ...the best tasting Strawberries (June-July) comes from Watsonville,Ca. ...

Danggit DF, is that where you live? And I have to go there to get the best strawberries right?

i live about 2.75 hr drive north of Watsonville.

YT,i'll trade you for some giant size Washington Red Delicious apples.Red Delicious are the best tasting apple on earth...

Sure! Are your strawberries giant size? You know how I like 'em

 

[minousbijoux]

I love your series, iLander! I don't know how many times I've gone back and read about mangoes, yum umm mmm.

I've grown strawberries too and in California, there are three main varieties you can grow (and that are widely available at farmers markets); seascape, chandler, and one other whose name I can't recall. One is considered "year round" and one is short season, which is the sweeter one - amazingly flavorful and so, so sweet, but relatively fleeting in appearance. Those strawberries on steroids you see in the supermarkets? Stay away from those if possible as those are like the square tomatoes they were trying to promote for a while - big, transportable, and relatively tasteless. Also, for a long time, strawberries were up there on the list of pesticide use. Many consumer organizations were saying that if you were going to pick and choose pesticide free, that strawberries were a good pick for organic/pesticide free because of the relatively high levels of pesticide. I don't know if this is still the case.

 

[iLander]

I'm talking about the strawberries we grow locally where I am, they are early season, and are usually at their peak in mid-February. There are so many hybrids in different parts of the country, that I sometimes forget how much the peak seasons (like people ) really do vary.

Just a tip, don't buy any fruit that flies more than you do; like South American strawberries. They're hybridized just to last a long time in the airplane (seriously) so flavor is not a big goal for that plant.

 

[iLander]

I love your series, iLander! I don't know how many times I've gone back and read about mangoes, yum umm mmm.

I've grown strawberries too and in California, there are three main varieties you can grow (and that are widely available at farmers markets); seascape, chandler, and one other whose name I can't recall. One is considered "year round" and one is short season, which is the sweeter one - amazingly flavorful and so, so sweet, but relatively fleeting in appearance. Those strawberries on steroids you see in the supermarkets? Stay away from those if possible as those are like the square tomatoes they were trying to promote for a while - big, transportable, and relatively tasteless. Also, for a long time, strawberries were up there on the list of pesticide use. Many consumer organizations were saying that if you were going to pick and choose pesticide free, that strawberries were a good pick for organic/pesticide free because of the relatively high levels of pesticide. I don't know if this is still the case.

Mnous! A fellow gardener! Yay!

I envy you your California fruit. Don't tell anyone I said this, but you guys have better oranges.

I bolded your advice about the strawberries, that's really important info. You're right, it is still true. You know what's even worse? Celery! If you buy non-organic celery, you might as well just drink out of the can of poison, it's terrible because it's mostly water.

I'm pretty sure we have better lemons though, I have a hybrid in my yard, with round lemons as big as softballs, with a slightly sweet taste. Awesome!

 

[iLander]

iLander, super advice -- thanks! I never knew how to tell if they're good, except if they look red, & I get faked out often.

How about melon, like cantaloupe? You're supposed to feel if the end is soft, right? Maybe I do it wrong; I get faked out there too.

--- Laurie

Sorry, Laurie, I can't stand cantaloupe. It makes my mouth itch, so I tend not to buy it.

 

[iLander]

Okay, thought I'd add corn, since I grew that as well. We only did it a couple of times, it's cheaper to buy it than it is to grow it!

CORN

I'm assuming you've picked an ear without any broken or chewed silk at the top. That's a sign of cutworms, and chances are, they're still in there. Pick the fattest cob you can find, no puny, skinny ones. Peel a little of the husk back, then press your thumbnail, gently but firmly in the middle of a kernel. It should pop, and the juice should squirt out. Not ooze, or trickle, it should enthusiastically pop and squirt out. That is some ripe corn, usually very sweet, especially if it's white corn.

------

I learned this from an agricultural extension agent, and it's served me well most of my life.

APPLES

Hold the apple in one hand, with your thumb opposite your middle finger. Squeeze. It should suddenly snap under the skin, just a little bit. It should definitely feel like a snap or pop, suddenly yielding under the pressure, your finger will travel inward a tiny bit, about 1/16th of an inch. If you don't feel the snap at all, it's not ripe yet, or was picked unripe and gassed. If it feels like it's yielding without snapping, it's mushy. I also give them a good sniff, make sure they smell like apples.

 

[minousbijoux]

I did not know that about celery!

Thanks, you just probably added years to my life.

 

[stargurl78]

Thank you iLander, this is helpful! I feel like every time I buy strawberries from the grocery store, they are always huge and taste like water. I'm tempted to try to grown some in my little garden at home.

 

[JewelFreak]

Corn! I grew up in corn country. One request -- PLEASE do NOT PEEL the husk back to check it. It ruins it for anybody else. You can make a tiny slit in the husk near the top with your thumbnail & open it just enough to see one or 2 kernels, that's all you need. If kernels are plump & unblemished, the ear is a nice full shape, husk light green & moist, silk not dry or blackish, it's a good one. If you don't want the ear, smooth it back where you made the tiny cut & plunk it back in the bin, leaving it fresh for the next person.

--- Laurie

 

[minousbijoux]

Corn! I grew up in corn country. One request -- PLEASE do NOT PEEL the husk back to check it. It ruins it for anybody else. You can make a tiny slit in the husk near the top with your thumbnail & open it just enough to see one or 2 kernels, that's all you need. If kernels are plump & unblemished, the ear is a nice full shape, husk light green & moist, silk not dry or blackish, it's a good one. If you don't want the ear, smooth it back where you made the tiny cut & plunk it back in the bin, leaving it fresh for the next person.

--- Laurie

I have heard this too - I grow corn and I am really impatient. How impatient you ask? I've been known to dig seeds up to see if they're growing yet. So Laurie, sometimes I just can't stop myself and while its still on the stalk, pull the husk back to check the kernels. Am I really screwing up by doing this?

 

[amc80]

How about melon, like cantaloupe? You're supposed to feel if the end is soft, right? Maybe I do it wrong; I get faked out there too.

--- Laurie

The way I do it is smell the end. If it smells like cantaloupe then it's a good one. Works every time.