Mo wrote: ↑10 Dec 2020, 21:45
I would never buy imported strawberries (not that some of the supermarket summer strawberries have a lot of flavour either)
Most likely the cultivar used for the supermarket is grown for high yield and packing - too often I find them to be slightly unripened (red but not sweet) because they have been picked slightly earlier to allow for the time during transportation before arriving at the shops.
Mo wrote: ↑10 Dec 2020, 21:45
I tend to buy honeydew melons and pineapples in summer (June July), but I don't know if that's habit or because they taste better then.
I'm not aware of pineapples commercially grown in the UK as they really need sub-tropical conditions and lots of warm sunlight. After growing up abroad when the pineapple season usually resulted in a glut, there really was no comparison in flavour to those pineapples sold in UK supermarkets so I don't normally buy them. Melons - well yes, if they are locally produced then they are ripening from about July - October. Most supermarket melons on the other hand probably came from the warmer countries like Spain where they would be sun ripened and sweeter.
Mo wrote: ↑10 Dec 2020, 21:45
So what do Laners buy at some times of year and not others?
Parsnips and swede in late autumn / winter after a spell of cold weather preferably a frost. They taste much sweeter and palatable. Like-wise, Brussel sprouts taste nicer after a frost too. Carrots - well, that really depends on the variety. Those grown for the winter market tend to be big and chunky which are fine in stews and with roasts, but summer varieties are lovely and sweet which are easier to eat raw and in salads. Cabbage - again, like the carrot there are different types for both summer and winter harvesting. The pointy ones are almost like a flavoursome lettuce whereas of course, a savoy is better for winter (I prefer a savoy in winter vegetable soups)