Best berry advice

Strawberries are in season, but only for a few weeks. If you’re a fan, savour the taste while it lasts. Norm Masfrankc from The Strawberry Place offers us these tips on how to pick a perfect berry.

Ripe, not overripe, not green
You can tell by the redness whether it’s ripe. With Mira – the best mid-season berry we have in this country – when it’s ripe, it’s light red. An Annapolis is bright red, but it’s sweeter. Mira has a longer shelf life than Annapolis. Annapolis is an early season berry. A little smaller, but sweeter and darker red.
You can tell a strawberry’s ripe because it doesn’t have a green tip or green shoulders (on the top of the berry). If it’s overripe, it gets too dark in colour.

How to pick:
– Check that it’s ripe.
– Don’t just pull it off – twist as you pull.
– You want to leave the leaves on.
– Preferably you leave a bit of stem on (berry on left in photo is the way it should look) – that helps it last longer at home.

The Strawberry Place is open for the season at 338 Elginfield Road between Sylvan and Thedford. Contact Norm at (519) 294-0070. Strawberry Place hours: 8–8 Mon. to Sat., 9–8 Sun.