The long-awaited strawberry season is finally here! To find out more, we met Stephan Perrotte, master craftsman at Maison Perrotte, who tells us about the varieties of strawberries available this year, where they come from, and a few secrets about how to prepare them.
Strawberry season is starting. Which strawberries will be available again this year?
This year we'll be featuring the Gariguette strawberry, the Mariguette strawberry, the Charlotte strawberry, the Dream strawberry, the Ciflorette strawberry, the Cireine strawberry and the Anaïs strawberry.
Where do these strawberries come from?
Our strawberries come from Monsieur PULICE Gino, a producer in Chouzé-sur-Loire, and Monsieur POUPARD Frédéric, a producer in Longué-Jumelles. Their fields, because at Maison Perrotte we speak of open-field strawberries, are less than forty minutes from the workshop. Our strawberries are picked in the morning, and we collect them at around 7am. They are brought back to the workshop, hulled and potted before 1 p.m. the same day. We try to keep the time between picking and potting as short as possible. Straight from field to pot!
Are there any strawberry varieties we won't be seeing this year? Why or why not? On the contrary, will there be anything new?
This year, we won't be seeing the Cirafine and Manila strawberries. These two varieties were tested for four years, but did not find their audience. With over 600 varieties to choose from, we're going to be able to test some new ones! So this year, we'll be testing the Favori variety and perhaps the Murano variety.
Can you explain the differences in strawberry taste?
My role as a Master Craftsman, in order to offer the best strawberry jam in France, or even the best strawberry jam in the world, is to have rigorous sourcing. To achieve this, the cultivation method is important.
The best is to have strawberries from open fields, a fresh product and a choice of varieties. I personally taste and collect our strawberries from our partner growers. With so many varieties to choose from, you're bound to find one you like!
Here are a few indications about the different varieties you will find this year:
- Strawberry Gariguette: Juicy, melt-in-the-mouth, with a naturally sweet, slightly tart taste.
- Fraise Mariguette: A hybrid between the Mara and Gariguette strawberries, offering a subtle blend of the Gariguette's tartness and the Mara's woodiness.
- Strawberry Charlotte: Naturally sweet, low acidity, very fragrant with woody, musky aromas.
- Strawberry Dream: Naturally sweet and low in acidity.
- Strawberry Ciflorette: Very sweet and juicy, often compared to candy.
- Strawberry Cireine: Naturally sweet, highly fragrant flavor, balanced between sugar and acidity.
- Strawberry Anaïs: Naturally sweet, low acidity, reminiscent of wild strawberries.
- Strawberry Favori: Very good taste, a blend of sweetness and acidity.
- Strawberry Murano: Very sweet and fragrant.
Note that each of our preparations contains the same amount of sugar.
However, some may give the impression of a higher sugar content, due to the taste of the fruit itself. Strawberry season is short but intense at Maison Perrotte, so come and discover our freshly prepared jams made with the best Anjou strawberries!