The Great Berry Debate
Is bigger better? Can big berries still taste as sweet as those tiny powerhouses? And does local matter more in the case of berry flavor?
These are the questions my colleagues and I bandied about on random occasions after our formal Zoom video meeting agendas ended — like virtual water cooler chatting.
We’re fortunate to have a staff that doesn’t all live and work in the same region, and we have different perspectives geographically, a bit culturally and with cooking experiences.
Like many types of produce, there’s an art or science to selecting the right one in the pile, and when shoppers pick wrong, they may not become a repeat customer of your brand.
Rochelle Bilow explained the feeling in a Bon Appétit article, “How to Fix that Carton of Sour, Sad Berries You Impulse-Bought.”
“You’re hoping for earth candy, but what you get instead is a somewhat hard, kinda sour, slightly astringent and definitely not juicy taste,” Bilow wrote.
Shoppers buying your brand of strawberry for the first time may mistakenly judge a strawberry by its color.
That red color doesn’t necessarily mean it’s fully ripe and fully flavorful because it can ripen on the shelf, said Marvin Pritts, horticulture professor at Cornell University and a berry crop specialist, in a National Public Radio interview with Melissa Block in 2012.
Industry professionals understand this basic fact, but many consumers don’t.
Shoppers don’t often get the chance to taste or sample before they buy, so that’s all they have to go on. Too bad they can’t slice one through because appearance matters inside.
“Usually, the better flavored strawberries are red through and through,” Pritts said in the interview. “A lot of the strawberries that aren’t quite so flavorful are white: They're red on the outside but white on the inside.”
So why are these berries bigger then?
U.S. consumers often think bigger is better, plus it’s more efficient and cost effective for your labor force — already hard to get and pay for — to harvest bigger berries.
And we know shipping less ripe berries, which are so delicate already, protects them from bruising and reduces waste.
Breeders and growers obviously want the best-tasting berry, but they also need varieties and techniques that increase yield, hardiness, disease and insect resistance.
Growers — and many other post-harvest stops along the way until the consumer takes a bite — seem to be more financially strapped than ever, with challenges of extreme weather events, labor, freight, regulations, import competition and market fluctuations.
So, I get it. It’s not simple.
With all these factors in mind, I keep trying new berry products, especially the premium, fancy kinds that advertise extra sweetness as well as a bigger size on the package labels.
In one case, I found that to be somewhat true. In another case, not at all, and I was sorely disappointed.
The rule still seems to apply: The closer it was grown to the consumer, the more flavorful it will be. I buy my region’s in-season produce as much as possible.
Of course, when I have a recipe or craving for a certain berry, I want it regardless of what time of year it is. I know it’s likely the berry won’t taste as sweet or flavorful as it does when it’s grown in-season near me, but I accept that.
Some of my colleagues disagree with me. They and their families fully enjoy the rich flavor of huge berries grown several states away. And I also buy berries south of the equator.
Regardless, I still look forward to the Northeast’s summer strawberry and blueberry seasons. I still look at the PLU stickers on all my produce and pick the items that have the closest state on the label. If that’s not an option or listed, I try to pick USA-grown. If that’s not an option … I usually still buy it.
Hey, I tried.
Amy Sowder is The Packer's Northeast editor.
