My favourite is Mara de Bois, which tastes like the wild strawberries we picked in the hedgerows on the way to and from school when I was a child. I have only ever found them in French street markets, not in the UK (though maybe they are available in the big London markets and those greengrocery shops there that spill out over the pavement).
I tried to grow them one year, from plants bought online. Not very successful, very low yield and the inevitable slug and bird attack. The few that made it were delicious, though!
Because they're such a delicate variety it would be unusual to see them for sale in many places. I used to love finding wild strawberries in the undergrowth in my parents garden and coming away with a handful of red jewels.
I grow strawberries on my allotment. A fellow plot holder gave me a few spare plants which I duly planted and waited for them to fruit. I don’t know what variety they were, but they were a huge disappointment. They really didn’t taste of very much. How different to a variety like Cambridge Favourite, which are exactly how you would want a strawberry to taste.
Fantastic article Cheryl - I’ll keep an eye out for some of those varieties. We used to go strawberry picking as kids - I guess that’s probably dying out too.
This is a brilliant article Cheryl. So informative so much I didn’t know about the strawberry growing world. Thank you 🙏
My favourite is Mara de Bois, which tastes like the wild strawberries we picked in the hedgerows on the way to and from school when I was a child. I have only ever found them in French street markets, not in the UK (though maybe they are available in the big London markets and those greengrocery shops there that spill out over the pavement).
I tried to grow them one year, from plants bought online. Not very successful, very low yield and the inevitable slug and bird attack. The few that made it were delicious, though!
Because they're such a delicate variety it would be unusual to see them for sale in many places. I used to love finding wild strawberries in the undergrowth in my parents garden and coming away with a handful of red jewels.
I grow strawberries on my allotment. A fellow plot holder gave me a few spare plants which I duly planted and waited for them to fruit. I don’t know what variety they were, but they were a huge disappointment. They really didn’t taste of very much. How different to a variety like Cambridge Favourite, which are exactly how you would want a strawberry to taste.
Sadly it is trial and error; variety, growing medium and weather all play their part.
Fantastic article Cheryl - I’ll keep an eye out for some of those varieties. We used to go strawberry picking as kids - I guess that’s probably dying out too.
Pick your own is still very popular x