“Once upon a time, people were wont to talk about the strawberry season and to look forward to it with delightful expectation. It brought visions of strawberry shortcake with mashed berries… and there was the social angle, the strawberry festival which brought together the elite of the neighborhood… Gone are these amenities, sacrificed beneath the juggernaut wheels of advancing science… In Europe, where national boundaries are close together and national self-sufficiency is a coddled ideal, seasons for strawberries are well-defined and short.
In this country, good ripe strawberries at a reasonable price are to be had in the depths of winter, long before strawberry plants have blossomed in Anne Arundel gardens… All this has been brought about through the wide expanse of Uncle Sam’s territory, and through the progress of science in horticulture, refrigeration and transportation. Good old strawberry, long may she wave!“ – Evening Capital, 1940 (Annapolis)
By the time the above editorial ran in the Evening Capital, the strawberry industry in Maryland had been waning for decades. In fact, this essay actually ran in local newspapers all around the country, with the county name swapped out accordingly. But 100 years earlier, in the mid-1800′s, “strawberry fever” was taking hold in the U.S., and Anne Arundel was “the most important strawberry district in the South.[1]”
Wild strawberries had been enjoyed by Native Americans and Europeans alike, before varieties from three continents mingled to create new and improved varieties that were earlier, hardier, redder, and self-pollinating. In 1767, Thomas Jefferson harvested strawberries, noting that “100 fill half a pint.” [2] Jefferson’s petite strawberries may not have had the full benefit of the change that was underway. A French spy named Amédée-François Frézier was dispatched to South America to observe what the Spanish were up to. King Louis XIV also wanted to get his hands on some legendarily large strawberries he’d heard about. Frézier brought specimens home from Chile which had some genes that produced a trait that neither the North American or European strawberries had going for them: size. These in turn were hybridized with North American varieties, and then eventually they made their way back to the Eastern seaboard.[3] This paved the way for the strawberry craze of the 1800′s.
illustration, The Strawberry by George M. Darrow
Increasing acreage was dedicated to strawberry cultivation as these bigger berries allowed for transporting them to markets around the state and beyond. It appears that it was not at all unusual for strawberry farmers to bring samples of their wares to local papers. Notices regularly reported enthusiastically on their quality. In 1893 the editors of the Evening Capital in Annapolis issued this challenge/request:
“The finest strawberries that we have seen this season was a box left at The [Evening] Capital by our old friend Mr. Joseph Beardmore near Camp Parole. We placed them in our front window and they were admired by every passerby… We don’t know the variety but we can vouch for the flavor… If there is another grower… that can excel this we would like to hear from him.”
Churches and civic organizations took advantage the strawberry’s popularity, raising funds each year by holding strawberry festivals in the spring. Newspaper ads from the mid-to-late 1800s demonstrate the popularity of these festivals. Ads appear in the Afro-American Newspapers as well, suggesting a widespread cultural phenomenon in those segregated times.
Some strawberry festival attendees may have partied pretty hard, if this 1868 ad is any indication:
Baltimore Sun, June 1868
Although Maryland hosted the highest acreage of strawberries in the nation by 1910, “Strawberry Fever” had caused overproduction which led to price decline. As the food system – and strawberries themselves- changed, strawberries could travel even longer distances and reach tables earlier than Maryland-grown strawberries. A few years of unfortunate weather, and the Maryland strawberry industry began to take a dive in the 20th century.
All love was not lost for Maryland and strawberries, however. The USDA was reviving the science of perfecting the strawberry. There, George Darrow developed at least twenty-eight varieties. He also conducted research and wrote a book about the history of the strawberry.
His book is available online in its entirety. His two sons opened “Darrow Berry Farms” in Glenn Dale in 1953. I remember going there to pick gallons of strawberries as a child. After hours in the scorching sun we’d have enough strawberries to freeze, eat fresh, and to preserve for the rest of the year. Darrow Berry Farms closed in 2000.
While we may not have the pressing need to capture gallons of strawberries in preserves before they expire, home-made preserves are still vastly superior than commercial preserves. Elizabeth Ellicott Lea’s preservation method appealed to me because of the wine and brandy. My berries shrunk into comical little pellets in cooking but the juicy liquid is no less useful.
After paying a premium at the farmers market these past few years for strawberries that don’t live up to my memories, I’d gladly suffer the blazing hot sun and the temptation for immediate gratification to bring home gallons of Darrow Berry Farms strawberries for freezing, preserving, baking, and eating.
This is the first of several “strawberry-craze” era recipes I’ve made this year. Even with the high cost and my snobbery, I still like to get em while I can.
Recipes:
- 1 Lb strawberries
- 1 Lb sugar
- 1 glass wine, white
- 1 tb brandy
- ¼ tsp alum
Pick out the largest and best strawberries, remove caps and cover with sugar and white wine. Let them stand four or five hours. Drain the syrup and heat in a pan, skimming if necessary, before adding the strawberries, and ”to each pound put as much fine alum as will lay on the blade of a pen-knife“ (Lea’s words) Bring to a boil, and gently boil for about three minutes gently shaking the pan. (”But do not stir them with a spoon, as that will mash them.“) Scoop the fruit into a jar and let the syrup boil up before setting it aside to cool. When the syrup is cool, pour over the strawberries and add brandy to the top and seal.
”If you like your preserved strawberries, cherries, or peaches, to have a fine pale color, allow them to boil half the time recommended in the receipt, then spread the fruit thin on dishes, with but little syrup, pour the rest of the syrup also on dishes, and set them daily in the sun; if the weather be clear and the sun hot, four days will be sufficient. Preserves done in this manner do not ferment. You should spread a piece of gauze or netting over them to keep out insects or dust.“ – Elizabeth Ellicott Lea
Recipe adapted from “A Quaker Woman’s Cookbook: The Domestic Cookery of Elizabeth Ellicott Lea”
[1] “Strawberries, Peas, & Beans: Truck farming in Anne Arundel County” by Willard R Mumford.
[2] ”The fruit and fruit trees of Monticello” by Peter Hatch, quoting Jefferson’s Garden Book
[3] “The Strawberry from Chile” George M. Darrow (Chapter 4 of “The Strawberry”) This chapter is a good read!
*I am not considering these a shelf-stable item and they will be refrigerated and used with a few weeks