There is nothing quite as exquisite as the heady fragrance, taste and mouthfeel of eating fresh, locally grown strawberries out-of-hand.
Unlike those big California-shipped strawberries (think Driscoll) at the supermarket, which have tasteless, airy middles, no aroma and no flavor, local strawberries in season have an incomparable taste and texture; they are ripe, yet firm, and juicy. Some are naturally sweet; others are slightly tart.
Local strawberry season is short. Here, in the Northeast, it’s up to early July—all the more reason to treasure the time they are available.
Strawberries are a rich source of Vitamin C, folate and potassium. One cup of sliced raw strawberries contains (1):
- 98 grams of Vitamin C
- 40 grams of folate
- 254 grams of potassium
Strawberries are high in water, a good source of fiber and relatively low in sugar, as well as a rich source of antioxidants that have anti-inflammatory and anti-cancer compounds, including anthocyanins (the pigment that gives strawberries its reddish hue) and ellagic acid (in the seeds and pulp of strawberries).
Even so, strawberries are not an “unlimited” food as they are a source of fructose (apx. 8 grams per cup) or fruit sugar. Fructose is metabolized in the liver, where it is converted to other sugars, like glucose and glycogen. Your liver can only efficiently process up to approximately 15 to 25 grams of fructose (from all sources) on a given day; any excess ends up being stored as fat.
It is also important to note that strawberries rank as the #1 food, containing the highest amount of pesticide residue, including chemicals linked to cancer and reproductive damage, on the Environmental Working Group’s 2024 Dirty Dozen Guide (2).
Yes, you will pay more for organic strawberries…but it’s well worth it for the 6 to 8 weeks local strawberries are at peak flavor.
Pleasure doesn’t get any easier than eating fresh local strawberries. I enjoy eating just-picked strawberries plain. Or, combined with some organic blueberries. When I periodically wean myself off of (over)eating dark chocolate, a bowl of fresh, sliced organic berries, topped with a generous sprinkle of organic raw cacao nibs, always hits the sweet spot.
Strawberry Delight
1 cup (apx. 5 strawberries) of sliced fresh, local and organic strawberries
1/3 cup organic blueberries
Optional: 2 teaspoons organic raw cacao nibs
Slice strawberries into a bowl. Add blueberries. Sprinkle raw cacao nibs over berries.
Enjoy!
Sources
1 FoodData Central. USDA. Strawberries, raw. April 2018.
2 Environmental Working Group. EWG’s Shopper’s Guide to Pesticides in Produce: The Dirty Dozen. 2024.
