We have become increasingly dependent on fruit imports from warmer climes throughout the year (after all it is always summer somewhere right?), but should we be doing this? Are we supporting our domestic growers enough? Is the quality of imported soft fruit going to be the same as fresh fruit grown in the region and so delivered and eaten within a couple of days?

There was a time when you would actually look forward to the arrival of a particular season because of the new fruit/vegetables that would now be in the stores-  dark, plump & juicy summer berries in late spring,  sweet red apples in summer, fat peaches in late summer, golden ears of corn in autumn, fluffy horse chestnuts in winter etc,. People always used to eat seasonal foods. I don’t know if it was the restriction of not being able to  eat fruit all year, or possibly it was due to fruit being harvested at the correct time of year, but in any case fruit used to taste absolutely delicious. Indeed, I struggle to think of the last time I ate an out of season strawberry that actually tasted like a strawberry!

But before we get too serious, let’s not forget that yearly strawberry picking is FUN and makes a great day out for the whole family. There are many farms which allow you to turn up and pick as many strawberries as you want, with the unspoken assumption that you will be gorging yourself on fruit which doesn’t quite make it to the strawberry scales at the end of the day! I challenge even the most stressed out parents or the moodiest teenagers not to enjoy being out on a warm hazy summer day with the sweet scent of strawberries heavy in the air. Days like these form family memories forever.

Picking fruit also creates that direct link with nature. A lot of children today have only experienced fruit in their packaged and processed state in a plastic tray in the local supermarket. Strawberry picking actually can teach quite a lot about how the fruit is grown (do they grow on bushes or trees), farming techniques, pest control and even just the physical effort involved in getting the fruit off the plant and into your baskets.