Local Strawberries in January

Local Strawberries in January
Originally uploaded by bonbayel.

I promised you a positive post today after all the negative.
Driving home from a meeting yesterday I passed the only farm store in our neighborhood (since everything else, except for a few small citrus groves, has been covered with houses (or warehouses, or roads...) - except the Angeles National Forest about 6 miles to the north, of course!

I think the property for this farm is also offered for sale for development, but thanks to the housing market, we can buy strawberries here at least 1 more year!

These strawberries can't compare with the ones I've known in the North, i.e. Denmark and Maine, where they are much smaller, a darker red, red all the way through (these are white inside,) and have a heavenly perfume that you can smell at quite a distance. These smell good if you have your nose within about 6 inches! And for lack of other, they also taste good.

But they do not work in the marvelous Danish summer desert "Rødgrød med Fløde" or "Jordbærgrød!" which you make by cooking the berries in small amount of water until they are mostly juice, adding a little sugar and then thickening them with cornstarch (or potato flour to be authentic.) Served with cream (or milk,)

You can't help wondering why they are growing so well this early in the season, particularly since we've had some cold nights (down to 35 F.) I won't say it, since I'm trying to be positive! (And unfortunately these are not organic - but they are local!)