First Harvest Of The Year

popped over to our lottie this afternoon to drop off composting stuff so had a quick look to see if there were any strawberries to pick.Came home with this lit which will go down nicely this evening with some ice cream...

 

Nice haul you have there @Kandy

How many strawberry plants are you growing on the 'lottie?

 

Hi @"M" I am not sure how many plants we now have over there as the original ones we got very cheaply at the end of the season at the local garden centre a few years ago but can't remember how many we put in,and some of them are Autumn fruiting so we get a double crop.Over the last couple of years they have sent out runners which we have left do they cover a large area.If I remember tomorrow I will see if I can get a photo or two then you will see the area they cover

I still have some in the freezer from last year and have found that if I eat them one at a time frozen they taste sweet,but if I defrost them then they taste bitter,so I tend to eat them like sweets

 

Mmmm that looks delicious @Kandy

 

Bit surprised thats the first harvest. We've been picking ours for well over a week now.

 

Nice one

 

Well done, being not too far from Aberdeen, we are a few weeks behind up here, though commercial poly tunnels on the edge of the village are bursting with fruit.

 

00000000000000000000000000015891In Newcastle upon Tyne and I just about have the starting of small green fruit. Weeks off your harvest and about three weeks behind this time last year. Panicking a bit that this year will just be one big waste of time.

 

@Sandy Ground i picked about four slug eaten ones the last time we were over at the allotment then have had heavy rain and storms right up until Friday so we only went over to the lottie to take garden stuff for composting so couldn't believe how many had suddenly ripened,hence they are in a carrier bag and not a bowl as I wasn't prepared

It also depends on what variety you grow and whereabouts in the country/world you live as to when the crop may be ready.If you happen to grow the plants in a walled garden or down in can pick them weeks earlier than say is in the Midlands

@"M" here is a photo I took yesterday to show you the area where we grow the strawberries.I expect when we next get over there there will be more that have ripened since Friday

 

I'm a wee bit further north than you. I was just surprised how late yours were. Mine are Zenga, which I believe is a late variety. No offence meant.

 

Hi @Sandy Ground it is ok I am not offended as I saw you were from Sweden which is slightly north of me I am not sure what varieties I have as there were a mixed lot and the lables disintegrated after a number of years stuck in the ground.I do have some that also flower and fruit in the Autumn months so a double bonus but have to watch out for slugs as like now they are rather partial to my strawbs

I will have to do a spot of research in the growing seasons in Sweden,(it will do me good to learn about Swedish fruit and veg growing and the Zenga variety of strawberry as I have not heard about them over here)

@Fern4 the strawberries tasted really nice either with or without ice cream

 

Hi @Kandy there has really been two traditional varieties of strawberry here. One is Zenga (or Zengana) the other Zefyr. Sadly, they are not as popular as they once were. Unfortunately they are beginning to disappear due to the introduction of more commercial American kinds. I'm very protective of the ones I have. Mainly because of their taste. As we all know, things tasted better before!

 

I can see what you mean @Sandy Ground about popular varieties vanishing when inferior specimens come in from other countries,and I don't blame you for trying to hang on to the older varieties especially if you have had success in growing them and enjoy the taste so why change just to suit others

Over here in the UK there has been a lot of breeding done with most fruit and vegetable varieties so many of the older ones have been lost and only the older generations can remember growing some of the old ones,although I think there are growers of the traditional fruit and veg of long ago are trying to keep them going and hope in that the younger generations will try to grow them and enjoy the taste.

I think there is a company called Heritage Seeds over here that sell seeds of long lost varieties for people to buy and grow so it is all good stuff

 

These are some of last years strawberries which I froze as we had so many and this is how I enjoy them,yum yum...

 

what are your preferred varieties, Kandy?