Friday 5, May
Why are the strawberries late in Berlin this year?
Local strawberries from Brandenburg are one of the first signs of summer
Normally, they’d already be here. Each year, local strawberries from Brandenburg are one of the first signs of summer, sold in markets from those little red strawberry-shaped stalls which pop up on every other street corner. This year, however, many are missing. Head to the supermarket and the strawberries on sale are, on the whole, from Spain. So, what is going on?
The truth is that, for the most part, they’re still in the ground. Cooler weather this spring has resulted in a delay to Berlin’s crop, but they’re on the way. Rather than arriving in early May, we should expect to see the first locally grown fruit hit the shelves in the middle on the month.
🍓 Want to pick your own strawberries in Berlin?
But is the local fruit really better than the imported stuff? They are a little more expensive but this is offset by other benefits. As you’d expect, buying regional strawberries is better for the environment, requiring less CO2 for their transportation. But the Brandenburg strawberries are also richer in vitamins too and, since they’re harvested later in the year, they’re generally sweeter.