There is a small section of my herb garden devoted to fraises des bois, or Alpine strawberries. These little perennials produce much smaller fruit than their commercial cousins, but the flavor is intense, almost like a cross between a strawberry and a raspberry. I generally wander out in the morning, coffee in hand, and pick a couple as my breakfast appetizer, (that is if the birds haven’t gotten to them first), as the plants don’t really produce enough for anything but eating out of hand.
They are quite easy to grow, requiring little to no maintenance. Unlike the domestic variety, they don’t produce runners; the plants just get a bit bigger each year.
Now, if you are not a gardener, but like to pick berries, there are plenty of U Pick sites around the area. Or just head on out to your local farmer’s market. There is just no comparison to those store bought California things at the supermarket that look nice on the outside but don’t have much flavor. Besides, don’t you want to support your local farmers ?
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