February and Valentines Day tends to make people think of strawberries. Something about the holiday be it love, hearts or the color brings strawberries to the forefront. This week at the farmer's market we went on a hunt for strawberries.
Last week were the first strawberries I really started tasting this year and they were good for this time of year. There was some acid, a little sweetness and some real strawberry flavor. But this weekend it rained and I knew the berries were going to lose alot of their flavor yet I still needed them for our strawberry bruschetta at Sage on the Coast for our wine tasting Satgurday afternoon.
As we walked the market I saw strawberries both on the tables and in customers bags and baskets. Many of the berries we saw looked great but when I tasted them and talked to the farmers I realized that just as I expected the rain had robbed them of much of their flavor. Even the venerable Harry"s Berries were washed out. That is of course until I tasted the gnarly little ones that Gloria had grown.There in lay the problem. There were lots of big beautiful strawberries available without the flavor that makes a great strawberry or I could buy a strawberry that didn't look so great but had flavor, not the greatest flavor, but much better than the others.
I bought the ones with flavor. Thats me. It happens with tangerines, with tomatoes, with so many other fruits and vegetables. It is something I try to teach my chefs, and it is something I preach to anyone who will listen, the best looking produce doesn't always taste the best and that is why we go to the market. Of course there are lessons to learn in life reflected in our produce.
1 comment:
Very thoughtful. I see why the restaurant is called Sage.
This reminds of that Twilight Zone episode...no, not "To Serve Man", but "Eye of the Beholder". So you're telling me that the berries that look like Ellie May might not have the flavor, better to pick the ones that look like Granny.
Post a Comment