Strawberries...the usual delight of late May and early June in Eastern North Carolina are always present at the Pitt County Farmer's Market at this kind of year. The juicy, deep red berries that are sold by local farmers bear no resemblance to the fruits that are sold in the supermarket at the very same time. Upon a recent visit the farm where most of our local berries are grown, Strawberries on 903, one of the owners told my friend, Melissa, and me that he would close before stooping to grow the varieties of California berries that most consumers know. According to this expert, a true strawberry, when sliced, should be red throughout, rather than white. Having bought quarts of his berries at his farm, we had smelled the difference in these berries and those found in the supermarket. Local berries filled the car with an unmistakable pungent aroma...ripe, sweet berries aching to be eaten. These are the local berries that only last for several weeks...those that Barbara Kingsolver mentions in her book as those you eat with wild abandon while they are in season. We bought 4 quarts of fresh strawberries, planning to eat them each morning for breakfast. What a fine way to begin each day of the coming week.
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