Fruit Daze

I am a big fan of food vendors and sampling street eats. Because of my street food curiosity and love I have begun to notice patterns among vendors- what food they sell at what time of day, what is in season each month on the produce stands, and what holiday is around the corner.

Because I buy fruit every few days, I am particularly tuned into what comes in and out of season at my local stands. When I arrived in Beijing in early September little green and brown apple looking fruit and large spiky smelly Durian fruit abounded. Later in October small red crab apples appeared, and fragrant persimmons popped up around November. When I arrived back from the US in January I was surprised to see fruit vendors at every corner boasting strawberries! Seeing these juicy little fruits sparked fond memories of picking strawberries on the East Coast of the US in late…June! Baffled, I asked many friends about the mysterious winter strawberries. Finally a friend informed me that winter strawberries are in fact a tradition and appear at this time every year, right before Chinese New Year in early February. These strawberries are grown in China’s southwest province of Sichuan, nourished by mild valleys between the region’s celebrated peaks.

Although not as cheap as China’s famous mandarin oranges, winter strawberries are very soft and exceptionally sweet and juicy, making them well worth the price. Distinct from summer strawberries’ firm tangy sweetness, these winter strawberries have a soft sugary sweetness and pulpy flesh that seemingly melts in your mouth. As a declared fruit lover, I am happy to have one of my favorite summer berries brightening up smoggy cold Beijing winter days.