NYC Blog #27 - The most expensive strawberries
Added 2022-12-20 15:00:01 +0000 UTCA couple of weeks ago, I went to the House of Showfields in Brooklyn. It’s a shop that carries unique brands in beautiful showroom displays.
I was there for a free strawberry tasting event and ate the most expensive strawberry I’ve ever known. They go for roughly over a dollar each. You can buy a box of 9 for $10 (which is actually a drop in price according to my friend who took me).
These strawberries came from seeds imported from Japan. They were grown hydroponically in a vertical farm in New Jersey. The fruit was super sweet and the texture was tender and delicate for a strawberry. As far as flavor goes, it’s strong. If you could oversaturate a strawberry, this is what you get.
But I honestly think they are way overpricing these little red morsels. The brand seems to be trying to adopt Japan’s “expensive fruit” culture — where something like a melon is worth $300. The fact that the strawberry’s price was reduced from its initial market price makes me think that an “expensive fruit” culture is not going to work in the US.
Besides, selling ultra-expensive fruit makes vertical farming seem out of reach. It should be more accessible so it can be widely adopted. Vertical farming lessens food waste and is better for health and the environment.
Comments
I agree. Vertical farming lessens food waste - anyone that’s done “pick your own” can attest to the wastage. But it doesn’t pay to reclaim that.. which is sad. It’s also kind of sad that we only buy “perfect” fruit.. it’s not as if it’s wasted - it mostly goes to other uses.
Jim Allen
2022-12-20 15:38:54 +0000 UTC
