Harvard Farmers Market

Wild strawberries taken by Philip Jägenstedt in Stora Hultrum, Sweden.

In France, they’re called ‘frais du bois’, and a strain in Italian is called ‘fragola di bosco’ , both phrases roughly translate to ‘strawberry of the woods’.  In English, we call them Alpine strawberries, those dime-sized berries often found growing wild in wooded and shady areas.   Their sublime flavors are very unlike traditional larger-sized strawberries, and you can cultivate them here in New England if you know what you’re doing!  In the dead of winter 2009, I planted hundreds of miniscule fragola seeds in tiny pots to watch them grow with gusto from my windowsill.  The idea was to eventually transplant these lovely green leafy shoots, some already showing tiny white flowers, to hillsides and bare spots around my garden areas.  But once outdoors, most of them fell victim to cold snaps, rain, incorrect fertilization, not enough sun, you name it.  I was happy to at least guard a dozen or so stalwart plants here and there.  By fall, some of these survivors had even born fruit.

Nonetheless, the berries that did produce offered a taste that’s difficult to describe other than perhaps how one describes an oyster fresh from the sea as tasting, well, like the sea.  The berries tasted like the earth, like the woods, like a bittersweet brush of spring rain and, because they were so tiny, the taste lingered barely, at least until I pulled at another one to pop in my mouth.  Needless to say, my lackluster produce did not extend beyond these hand to mouth tastings, and my recipes for Italian berry liqueur, iced drinks, and sorbets had to be temporarily shelved.

This is why, during a recent warm spell, I was thrilled to find my fragolas pushing forth along with daffodils and hyacinths, upwards and outwards to a deep shade of green that could only mean they are ready to commence another season, this time perhaps with the idea of spreading a bit across those empty hillside spaces, offering up a late spring production, and even maybe a second one in fall!  This picture to reminds me not to give up.  These little guys didn’t so why should I?  These delectable perennials can be had at some local garden stores, or from a friend who may allow you a few cuttings, or by ordering on the Internet.  Recipes abound on the Internet, but one of the best ways to delight in their flavor is to enjoy them straight from the garden.