The Joy of Gardening

“Imagine a plate holding two strawberries, identical in appearance. One came out of a clamshell supermarket box, meaning it was probably harvested when it was still unripe, immediately placed in a forced-air cooling unit, loaded onto a refrigerated truck and driven hundreds of miles. By the time it reached the plate it may have been off the vine for two weeks. The other strawberry was picked from a garden minutes before being eaten.

The first one will probably taste like a slightly mushy cucumber, with a vague hint of berry tang and strong sour undertones. The second is likely to be sweet and floral; the flavour will linger in the mouth, as the scent will on the hands.” This is the beginning of an article published by The Economist about the joy of gardening.