Comments on: Fraises des Bois / Frais du Bois / Frutti di Bosco / Wild Strawberries

By: atbnorge

atbnorge — Thu, 18 Jun 2009 21:08:28 +0000

The wild strawberries (markjordbÃ¦r in Norwegian)here are now ripe for the picking. I also have some under the hedge (plus some hedgehogs grunting and snorking at night) and I am a bit curious if you will agree that they have a hint of aratiles in them (not the hedgehogs, huh). Just as I found blueberries have a hint of santol; morell cherries taste like duhat, and cranberries taste like…must be my tastebuds feeling homesick. But then again, there is free food to be gathered, so I must not mope.I also found that I will be having sukker plommer—uh, yellow plums, this summer. Plus the endless rows of wild raspberries along the path where I walk my dog, I only pick the ones above urine level of the largest dog I know, or I forage below urine level after the rain has stopped…Hey, did you know that gooseberries taste a bit like kamias?…There’s a kind old lady two streets up from where I live and she has a hedge of blackberries, nam-nam…Eat your heart out, Marketman!

By: Jun b

Jun b — Sun, 14 Jun 2009 02:18:16 +0000

never had the chance to have wild strawberries. The closest that I had are those bought from supermarkets but I guess the sweetness are no where near the wild ones.

By: betty q.

betty q. — Sat, 13 Jun 2009 02:46:23 +0000

Sister: I googled champagne mangoes. The picture is identical to theones we get here labelled Manila mangoes (Ataulfo variety). That one is in season here now and my friend /distributor sells it to me from anywhere from $30 to $46 for a 40 pound box when there is a bumper crop. Howver, he also sometimes brings in the ones that looks EXACTLY like our Mangoes back home. The skin is smooth and when ripe, the color is PALE YELLOW (just like our mangga back home) unlike the Champagne ones …the skin is DARK GOLDEN YELLOW almost orange when ripe. The shelf life is not as long as the Champagne ones. That is why he doesn’t bring it it unless there is an order for it. I must be the only oddball who asks for it.

By: sister

sister — Sat, 13 Jun 2009 02:11:14 +0000

Betty Q, Are you referring to the “Champagne” mangoes, sometimes labelled “Manila”. I read somewhere that the original seedlings were transported to Mexico from Cebu on a Spanish galleon. I think they are the best availble in the US in May and June- $17. a dozen in one case of large ones- they are very good.

By: michelle o

michelle o — Fri, 12 Jun 2009 08:29:19 +0000

This reminds me of our summer home in scandinavia. We have raspberries and blueberries growing wild. But next to my son’s sandbox is a little patch of strawberries. Makes me smile just thinking about it.

By: betty q.

betty q. — Thu, 11 Jun 2009 18:25:10 +0000

Hey, that is a good idea, Connie C….it would be an awesome cottage industry there! For diabetics, you can use splenda …first buy the NO SUGAR ADDED PECTIN, comes in a white blue and red markings….Bernardin brand not Certo is what I use. Fro sweetener, you can use fruit juice or Splenda. It would help if the berries are really sweet.

I just finished making another 2 cases last night and I will mail you 1 case for now next week so you can enjoy it on your toast or biscuits or scones or croissants.

How about preserves, too….mango preserves, atis? But it would be a PAIN de-seeding them. or Santol pickle! …much like the pickled mango I remember which is sortof sweet pickle.

By: Connie C

Connie C — Thu, 11 Jun 2009 13:12:21 +0000

Ahaaaay ,betty Q ,now you are getting me into jam making…..nevermind that there is a diabetic in the family and one in the making. Guess what I was doing at 3 AM? Googling how to make jam and found this wonderful site complete with all the how to’s I would need, source, down to the computation of cost to make an 8 oz jar of strawberry jam. Might be useful as a project for an eco tourist community in Palawan using native fruits instead….tamarind, camias, santol, etc.

https://www.pickyourown.org/jam.htm

Now to get ready for the blood, sweat and tears give aways for the holidays. I appreciate even more the precious strawberry jam that came with the tin package. And did you say some hating kapatid share on the way?….but don’t worry. I am not being presumptuous.

By: natie

natie — Thu, 11 Jun 2009 10:49:46 +0000

betty q—champagne mangoes here in bergen county,NJ (similar sa ‘Pins) 2 for a dollar!!! $7.99 a box!! (didn’t count how many/box)…just bought a few since i wasn’t sure if they were sweet, but they are!!! will buy more today..

By: Emily

Emily — Thu, 11 Jun 2009 10:31:07 +0000

Yum! Wild strawberry plants started growing in my garden this year, to my surprise. I just gathered a handful of these chickpea-sized fruit and the flavor is indeed sweeter and much more intense than regular strawberries.

By: betty q.

betty q. — Thu, 11 Jun 2009 07:32:47 +0000

Doc, they are the ones that are identical in taste as Silly Lolo would say…from the ‘Pins! …it comes every Friday and once in a while, I would have a hankering for those…to make JAM!!! They are grown in Mexico but not the Ataulfo variety. they are a bit longer than the regular Mexican mangoes but the skin or peel is very identical to the ones we have back home. My friend/distributor only brings it in when I ask him for its shelf life is not as long as the Mexican ones. But it is worth the $56!!! It comes in a 20 pound case.