Can You Identify Which Strawberries are Local?

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(Photo: Sarah Jampel)

At Food52, we spend a lot of time thinking about where we source our groceries for photoshoots, and you’ll often find our editors venturing to the farmers market to buy in-season produce.

Related: How to keep berries fresh for longer

But does it really make a difference? Is it worth the extra time and money?

Related: 5 pints of strawberries, 5 summer recipes

For a recent cookbook shoot, we needed strawberries, and a real-life example emerged. Here, you see standard issue supermarket strawberries from California on the left and local strawberries from the New York area on the right. You’ll notice that the local berries are smaller and redder, but it’s not just looks alone: They’re also sweeter and more flavorful.

Related: 10 of America’s best farmers markets

The verdict? Worth it.

By Sarah Jampel

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