The 8lb flat we bought at the store says “Strawberries * Fraises”.
I love strawberries, but I hate the green bits on top. Can I get the strawberries without those? You’d think there’d be a market.
–Howard
ps. Yes, I read French. But that doesn’t mean I have to eat those green frezzy bits on top of my strawberries.
*looks it up in his handy book of French fraises*
Quelle blog!
*Scans the subsequent posts*
Well, at least SOMEBODY gets me. I can tell by the turn of the fraise.
Living in Canada, my first thought was “Yeah!” Of course, that was followed by “Wait, he lives in Utah. What are Canadian strawberries doing in Utah?”
Ah, well. At least you don’t have problems with frogs eating your berries.
*ducks*
Most of the bigger supermarkets will sell strawberries with the tops cut off. Sometimes they’ll even mix it up with blueberries. However you don’t get nearly as much for the same amount of money.
Look in the “Fresh ftuit to go” section.
There is a market. I know places that sell them. But removing the green bits both adds labor costs and causes the berries to go bad on the shelves faster, which drives the price up significantly.
Then chop em off when you’re washing the berries?
I have found a good way to remove the greenery with a minimum of berry-flesh.
I have a set of silverware with a rose design. Hence, the ends of the handles have a bit of a rounded point. You might have luck with another semi-blunt, semi-pointed object like a butter knife (not table knife) or a fish knife. I would not recommend a sharp blade like a paring knife, as it might slip sideways and remove too much flesh, berry or otherwise.
I grasp the berry in one hand, the handle of a spoon in the other. I drive the semi-pointy end of the handle down into the berry flesh at an angle calculated to pass beneath the base of the greenery, then lever it up, placing my (spoon-hand) thumb over the green, pinching the greenery between thumb and spoon-handle. Then, I rip upward, removing the greenery and a circle of (usually-white) flesh, leaving the remainder of the berry intact. There is an often-hollow space in the center of most ripe strawberries. Aim to penetrate into this void, but not back out of it, with the tip of your tool.
The non-sharp spoon handle prevents cutting one’s self, and allows one to feel the “right” spot to drive in the point to rip out the top.
A tiny bit of practice will result in mastery.
If I had any strawberries, three photos would serve to demonstrate what my many fraises have tried to explain.
~Rick
A grapefruit spoon works well, also. It has little teeth that work nicely for this purpose.
My knowledge of both french _and_ english were insufficient for this joke.
It took me… a very long while, and reading your disappointment of other people’s responses.
Thank you, la dictionary.
If thine fuzzy thing offends thee get a knife
http://www.sharppointythings.com
and cut it out.
Perhaps they wanted you to know that the strawberries wouldn’t fraise if there was a frost?
Tip for easy “green bits” removal — use a large frosting star tip. Just push it in, twist, and the core and leaves will lift right out.
I think I got this one from Alton Brown, but wouldn’t swear to it….
Why do people haveta keep hating the leafy bits? They’re awesome!
Except in my lemonade, thanks.