On Sunday, I went to the strawberry festival held in the quaint little Maltese village of Mgarr. I had never been to “Festa frawli” as it is locally known; quite popular on the Maltese calendar of events.
I planned to take some nice photos, but, in the end, only got the one!
When I posted this photo on Facebook, a friend of mine commented about the pesticides used in cultivating strawberries. I never really thought of it! Another friend, told me he does not buy strawberries for health reasons. Hmmm …
I decided to have a quick look on the web, to find out how common practice the use of pesticides is, and came across this article.
Should we worry about pesticides in strawberries?
Not sure. The article seems to confirm what my friend said; it is very difficult to grow strawberries without the use of pesticides. What a pity!
I remember the typical Maltese strawberry which was very small and sweet. At the time, pesticides weren’t widely used and fruits were only available in their “right” season.
The little, sweet strawberries gave way to the big strawberries which are now available from December through to June.
Are we forcing nature to produce more? Could this be the reason why pesticides and chemicals are a must, nowadays?
I do not know the answer to these questions. All I know is that, when I tried buying strawberries at Christmastime, I was very disappointed. The taste of out-of-season strawberries leaves a lot to be desired; they’re at their best in the spring and early summer.
The article I referred to for research purposes talks about strawberry farming and strawberry picking in New Hampshire. I am not aware of places where you can do your own strawberry picking, in Malta and I’m not so sure if you can buy organic local strawberries.
If you know where to buy organic local strawberries from, would you be kind enough to leave a comment to share, please? Thank you …
Colette's Food Blog 