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The stark difference between a Kroger and farmers market strawberry
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this post was submitted on 22 Apr 2024
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Different cultivars of strawberries? Different growing methods? Theres lots of reasons for the difference.
Shot in the dark, but I bet the top one has a shorter growing cycle per pound.
Thats entirely possible too, less light, less nutrients, less care, I prefer whiter strawberries since they are sweeter than tart myself. But it could just as easily be nurture vs yield as well.
It's likely the reverse. The bottom one will have a shorter growing cycle.
The top one is selected for firmness and shipping. Delayed ripening is usually linked to these traits in climacteric fruits.
The bottom one is selected for internal color and yield. They can't be shipped very far though.
Top one is bred to look pretty. There are several large farms that realized people don’t buy ugly fruit, we want the pretty bright red strawberries. After many years, we now have a mass selection of tasteless, pretty fruit to pick from.
In this instance it's likely a different variety. I would guess it's a processing variety versus a shipping variety.
Most strawberries for long distance shipping are bred for a lower degree of softening during the ripening process. This is done by selective breeding for a lower expression of expansin activity. This allows for them to have a shelf life of 3 weeks.
Processing varities (preserves, freezing, etc) have a very sort shelf life. Often only 3-4 days. They are selected for the deep red color throughout the fruit as well as yield. This deep red color looks better in the finished products.
I grew up on a farm and strawberries were one of the big crops. You might be right but I think the biggest thing is that they are simply picked green. Not 100% green, but as soon as they show a little red, they are picked. They last MUCH longer this way, but at the cost of flavor. There are different varieties, but those two berries look the same (most of the ones you see are the jewel variety)
The biggest deciding factor for one of them is yield + growth speed + profit margin though, there's no arguing about that
Not wrong at all and could entirely be the issue, I just know I prefer the white flesh strawberries as they aren’t as tart, but that can be personal preference as well. Even if they are the same cultivar and everything else is equal.
Spoken like someone who's never tasted a real strawberry.