46833 Mon Jun 19 21:33:05 -0700 2006 12 1 San Francisco Bay Area 0 232914 Wandering throughout the Saturday Market and sampled a really good strawberry at Ella Bella _ on the Bay Side next to Frog Hollow. They were very sweet and juicy. Bought some to make Strawberry Shortcake - they were a variety called Seascape. Yum. Link: http://i43.photobucket.com/albums/e365/GordonWing/StrawberryShortcake.jpg Image: http://i43.photobucket.com/albums/e365/GordonWing/StrawberryShortcake.jpg Mon Jun 19 21:33:05 -0700 2006 0 gordon Wing 1 232924 seascapes and gaviotas are always pretty darn good. Mon Jun 19 23:21:12 -0700 2006 232914 0 kevin 2 232934 Great picture. Are there bad strawberries this time of year? I was over at Civic Center market yesterday, and the strawberries I got were delicious. At 1 pm, they were $1 a basket. They said only one more week for local cherries. Tue Jun 20 00:50:54 -0700 2006 232924 0 Windy 2 232937 Actually, the seascapes were my least favorite of the strawberries I tasted side-by-side last week. My favorites were the Alvion and the Chandler. Tue Jun 20 01:09:38 -0700 2006 232924 0 Ruth Lafler 3 232944 Far and away the best strawberries, year after year are any variety from Dirty Girl. Then keep an eye out for their haricot vert and dry farmed tomatoes later in summer. And for now, don't miss Lagier boysenberries, get them while they last. Tue Jun 20 02:06:58 -0700 2006 232937 0 lady marmalade 3 232980 At their best, I think Seascapes beat Chandlers, but Chandlers are better right now. Tue Jun 20 13:31:17 -0700 2006 232937 0 Robert Lauriston 4 232984 I guess it is just a matter of preferance. I've never been impressed with Seascapes. The Chandlers have the sweetness and deep strawberry taste I prefer. They are a more reliable strawberry to me. However given yours and the OP, I might go back to trying a sample when I see seascapes at farmers markets. Tue Jun 20 13:55:18 -0700 2006 232980 0 rworange 5 232985 It varies from year to year. Last year Lucero's Seascapes were the best I've had outside of Italy. Tue Jun 20 13:59:13 -0700 2006 232984 0 Robert Lauriston 6 232991 Did you have those tiny berries served with lemon and sugar? They were one of the best things I've EVER had. Is there anything like that here? Tue Jun 20 14:58:59 -0700 2006 232985 0 tedm 7 232995 Wild strawberries? They're grown locally, show up at places like Berkeley Bowl once in a while. I see them more often in people's yards. Tue Jun 20 15:19:35 -0700 2006 232991 0 Robert Lauriston 7 233016 Hey ted, some times I get lucky and will catch the tiny berries grown by someone in Sebastopol sold at some of the farmers markets in Sonoma County. I think they're described as an alpine cross, so maybe half-wild, I dunno. The aroma and delicacy of the flavor are truly sublime. Tue Jun 20 17:15:24 -0700 2006 232991 0 Melanie Wong 3 233006 I'm not that conversant on all the different strawberry varietals - all I know is that the Seascapes from Ella Bella on this Saturday were excellent. I would look for Seascapes again based on my experience and I'll look for Alvion & Chandler based on your experience, as well. I wonder though how much difference there will be from Farm to Farm? I'm thinking the particular Farm has got to be a factor as well as the variety. So much more to sample ... I'm looking forward to the research :~) Link: http://i43.photobucket.com/albums/e365/GordonWing/SeascapeStrawberry-EllaBellaFarms.jpg Image: http://i43.photobucket.com/albums/e365/GordonWing/SeascapeStrawberry-EllaBellaFarms.jpg Tue Jun 20 16:27:04 -0700 2006 232937 0 gordon wing 4 233017 Huge differences from farm to farm. I was very happy with the strawberries I got from Swanton in Berkeley on Saturday. I was not happy with the other vendors' I tried. Tue Jun 20 17:15:45 -0700 2006 233006 0 Robert Lauriston