strawberries

I recently purchased a box of strawberries at the grocery store because the price was so inexpensive. I figured that strawberries must be in season for the price to be that low. After all, there is a large strawberry festival just south of Orlando where they grow jillions and jillions of strawberries. When I got home I took a close look at the label to see if they were grown in Polk county where they hold the strawberry festival. Much to my surprise, the strawberries were from California. It even says "California grown" on the label.

Why would the grocery store go through all of the expense to import these strawberries from California when there are fields and fields with "billions and billions" (Carl Sagan phrase) of strawberries grown locally. I am baffled by this. I must admit that the strawberries were ripe, sweet, large, and not a bad one in the box. Definitely high quality strawberries. So I have been enjoying fresh sliced strawberries with my cereal in the morning. Does anyone know whether strawberry plants are "annual" or "perennial"? I am depending on Villager or Seaside to let me know on this.

I grew up in a farming community in a rural town in New York. For me, summer was a time of feasting on all of the various crops that were grown or that I found wild: Juicy red McIntosh apples, deep dark Bing cherries, purple concord grapes, pears, plums, and some wild strawberries and wild blackberries. And if there weren't any crops ready for eating, well there was always the wonderful Mrs. Benson who would invite me to have tomato soup and peanut butter and jelly sandwiches for lunch with her children. She was always so kind to me and others.

I hope that everyone has a chance to enjoy the fresh fruits like strawberries and blackberries that are ripening. Have a good day. Lew