Saturday, May 27, 2006

Gaviota Strawberries

First came upon them at the Santa Monica Farmers Market when I moved here. They are the most amazing berries -- sweet, delicate, juicy as can be. Usually I only buy a basket because they are so expensive, but today I bought a three pack, because I needed a lift. I don't parcel them out, either. They're too good. They can also be found at the Torrance Farmers Market, which is where I usually go.

Another variety I like is Seascape. They're firmer, not quite as sweet, and just have a delightful taste. They are particularly good with brown sugar and sour cream.

Growing up, I never liked strawberries or tomatoes. Grocery store fruit has no flavor, and that's what I grew up on. Right before I moved to Israel I was told that I would be eating a lot of tomatoes -- and first night on the Kibbutz, at the dinner tables, were nothing but tomatoes, cucumbers, cottage cheese, bread, and onions. I sat waiting for a hot meal, and someone told me this was it. I broke down and tasted a tomato, and have never looked back.

There is something indescribable about eating food fresh picked, without hormones, and with the taste of the sun still in it. That tomato was incredible. The berries I purchased are incredible. The more we grow our own, in small quantities, the better we all are. We've sacrificed way too much for simple convenience.

3 comments:

Yoga Korunta said...

I would love to try these delightful fruits!

Anonymous said...

I agree, plastic tomatoes from the supermarkets, I'd rather leave them at the supermarket. Eating fresh, in season, produce and fruits are one great joy of this time of year, specially up here in Quebec where the season is much shorter. My parents and uncles were all produce growers. To sit in a cucumber field, your bare legs feeling the hot sandy soil, and you just grab a cucumber fresh off the runner, and bite into it, aaahh, nothing tastes summer like that indeed. / You would get a kick out of the 'eat local' menu that Liz had just put up on Pocket Farm (www.pocketfarm.com) and her whole string of posts about the eat local challenge. She is in Maine. So it is no ordinary challenge. If someone can do it up there, we can all do it in the end.

DivaJood said...

Yoga, the Gaviotas are too delicate to leave California. Sorry.

Suzanne, thanks for the tip on Pocket Farm. Going to have to check that out.