The impact of the bumper strawberry harvest
Strawberry season has begun! And that is certainly noticeable: supermarkets are massively offering discounts on the red fruit. The strawberry growers’ harvest was enormous. How did this happen? And does this large, early harvest affect the taste of the strawberries?
In supermarkets, Dutch strawberries are available almost everywhere at a bargain price. Dirk sells them for €2.49, and at the moment even with a special offer of €1.49 for a 400-gram pack. At Jumbo, you can get two 400-gram boxes of strawberries for €5.00. AH’s offer is also quite something: there, you can get a 500 g pack of Dutch strawberries for €2.98, while the price was previously €4.49.
Rapid ripening
According to Jaco Huisman of strawberry farm De Westlandse Aardbei, this price drop is due to the growers’ large harvest: ‘Because of the beautiful weather around Easter, the strawberries ripened much faster, within a week to ten days. As a result, supermarkets are offering discounts, as this was not planned.’ But does this large harvest affect the taste of the strawberries? ‘Not much; the only difference may be in their size, because the fruit ripened so quickly, they may turn out somewhat smaller.’
Hard and unripe
At Daan Ensink’s Groentenier Tom Ensink in Amsterdam, the price of the strawberries remains the same, €8.95 for 500 g. ‘As a greengrocer, we supply a different quality of Dutch strawberries than supermarkets do, which is why the price remains the same. Supermarket strawberries are hard and unripe. Our strawberries continue to ripen in the shop, giving them a better taste.’ He also offers a tip for storing strawberries: ‘Strawberries are delicate and taste best when you eat them immediately.’
