Succulent strawberries
Long gone are the days when people suffered through a Canadian winter without the luxury of fresh produce. Fruit and veggies are shipped to us from all over the world. It's difficult to tell the difference between summer and winter just by looking at the grocery store shelves.
Nevertheless, for everything there is a season, and the advent of summer means fresher goodies are on the way. Here's what to look for.
Nevertheless, for everything there is a season, and the advent of summer means fresher goodies are on the way. Here's what to look for.
Strawberries
Juicy, plump, sweet, brilliantly coloured, the strawberry is one of the most popular fruits. It's also one of the most delicate, which means that it's difficult to transport from great distances.
You probably know what it's like to get to the bottom of your green carton of strawberries and find a layer of red mush. Even if the strawberries are being transported only a short distance, they have to be picked unripe off the vine, in order to survive the journey and that means a less than optimum sweetness.
Strawberries are fragile. They're also expensive in the off-season and not always available. The arrival of summer means the arrival of fresh local strawberries, so head out to the nearest farmer's market, or better yet, pick your own right from the field.
Look for firm, bright berries, not too dark or bruised, with the green caps still on. White shoulders are an indication of unripeness.
Try: 6 juicy strawberry recipes
The stone fruits: Cherries, plums, peaches
Like strawberries, stone fruits will ripen after they're picked, but they won't be as sweet as they would have been plucked ripe off the tree.
The less travelling time to market, the better. Fresh North American stone fruits become increasingly available over the summer, beginning with Early Richmond cherries.
In most places, the Canadian climate is not as suitable for stone fruits as it is for apples, so you may not find it as easy to take advantage of farm-gate freshness. (The Okanagan Valley in B.C. and the Niagara belt in Ontario are the best places to look for an orchard.)
Try: 10 tasty ways to eat apples
If you can't pick ripe fruit from the tree, try to find fruit of mature size and colour, and with few blemishes. Allow the fruit to ripen fully at home before consuming.
Click to continue...
Juicy, plump, sweet, brilliantly coloured, the strawberry is one of the most popular fruits. It's also one of the most delicate, which means that it's difficult to transport from great distances.
You probably know what it's like to get to the bottom of your green carton of strawberries and find a layer of red mush. Even if the strawberries are being transported only a short distance, they have to be picked unripe off the vine, in order to survive the journey and that means a less than optimum sweetness.
Strawberries are fragile. They're also expensive in the off-season and not always available. The arrival of summer means the arrival of fresh local strawberries, so head out to the nearest farmer's market, or better yet, pick your own right from the field.
Look for firm, bright berries, not too dark or bruised, with the green caps still on. White shoulders are an indication of unripeness.
Try: 6 juicy strawberry recipes
The stone fruits: Cherries, plums, peaches
Like strawberries, stone fruits will ripen after they're picked, but they won't be as sweet as they would have been plucked ripe off the tree.
The less travelling time to market, the better. Fresh North American stone fruits become increasingly available over the summer, beginning with Early Richmond cherries.
In most places, the Canadian climate is not as suitable for stone fruits as it is for apples, so you may not find it as easy to take advantage of farm-gate freshness. (The Okanagan Valley in B.C. and the Niagara belt in Ontario are the best places to look for an orchard.)
Try: 10 tasty ways to eat apples
If you can't pick ripe fruit from the tree, try to find fruit of mature size and colour, and with few blemishes. Allow the fruit to ripen fully at home before consuming.
Click to continue...
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