You don't know what you've got 'til it's gone...

I went to the farmer's market over my lunch break this past Wednesday (yes, one of the signs that I am a serious foodie) and saw, to my delight, local, fresh, organic strawberries for sale! I moved closer and saw the sign next to them: "organic strawberries, $7 per pint." Wow. Not even $7 per quart, $7 per pint. Domestic strawberries don't grow well in Alaska. They take lots of time and loving care to yield good berries, and even then the production isn't great. Thus the price. Longing for the taste of good strawberries, I bought one box, and they were delicious. But at about 50 cents per strawberry, I can't afford to do that very much. I'm savoring them like expensive chocolate--one little bit at a time.
Being a native western New Yorker, late June and early July are strawberry season to me. My parents always took us to a u-pick place nearby early in the morning, and for days afterwards we ate our fill in shortcake, sliced into our morning cereal and made into fresh strawberry pie. We made batches and batches of strawberry jam to give us a taste of the glorious fruit all through the winter. Such bounty! (Click here for my blog post last year during strawberry season.)
So yes, I'm going through produce withdrawal. I haven't acclimated yet to what's available here, it seems so scarce and so late. I'm sure I'll get used to it. But it's early still, I've only been here 5 months. I am making some good food discoveries. I bought some locally made goat cheese at the same stand as the strawberries at the market on Wednesday and its tangy, crumbly goodness makes me want to find out more about what else the goat dairy produces. The goat farm is just getting started in the business, check out an article about them here. I know that in August blueberry season starts, and many of the mountains outside of town offer the fruit on bushes all around as a sweet reward at the summit. But allow me a moment of sadness for my lost strawberry season. If you're in a place where local strawberries are widely available--please, pick and eat with abandon.