A Strawberry Smorgasbord

We all have things in life that we are almost too ashamed to admit. But I think I better come clean and confess something that has been torturing my soul, if not the pit of my stomach for quite a while… I have lived in Owen Sound since 2002 and up until this year, I have never been to the much talked about annual Strawberry Supper at the Derby Community Arena in Kilsyth. Shame on me! Now I know what I have been missing all these years with this all-you-can-eat smorgasbord… roast beef with horseradish, sliced chicken, homemade potato salad and coleslaw, freshly baked scones, cakes and squares, and especially the generous bowls of ripe and ready strawberries.

So how come the strawberries I get at the grocery store are bitter by comparison? The trick seems to be in the preparation. These delectable treats are apparently sprinkled with white sugar and then left to sit at room temperature. This causes a strange scientific phenomenon to occur where the water inside the berries gravitates to the outside so that there is equal water on both sides. So the delicious natural juice you are enjoying actually comes from the inside of the strawberry. Osmosis at its tastiest! On the other hand, if you were to soak your berries in water, the transfer would not occur and the taste just wouldn’t measure up.

Can’t wait to try this at home. And Strawberry Supper 2011, here I come!