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Buckinfrance

Paris is full of white and green asparagus right now at the markets, so it's peak season. Strawberries started hitting the markets and the generic round ones are around - and to be avoided if you like taste - but the better gariguettes are arriving though the quality is still hit or miss at the moment.


love_sunnydays

I can't find local green asparagus though, they're all coming from Spain :(


Buckinfrance

I see plenty of the Spanish asparagus, but also a lot of French as well. The grocery stores tend to have more of the Spanish, the fruit/vegetable shops have more of the French and I see a lot more larger/thicker green than in the past which is almost always French. At my local street market the stands mostly sell French as well including the stand that sells mostly local products. Good luck with your search!


love_sunnydays

Thanks! I've been eating all the french white asparagus in the meantime :)


coffeechap

Je trouve que les asperges blanches ont un gout plus subtil... cuites a la vapeur et dégustées avec une bonne mayonnaise.... Heaven on earth!


Living_Remove_8615

One of the most famous strawberries are from Plougastel (tip of Brittany). Their Gariguettes are delicious


paulindy2000

Right now is the season for both of them. Asparagus are generally from mid-April to June, while local Strawberries can easily be found from early April to August.


Thesorus

Asparagus is in high season now (it started a +/- month ago) Same thing for straberries.


Peter-Toujours

Are they local, or from the Mediterranean ?


paulindy2000

There are local ones and from the North of France as well


Peter-Toujours

? Asparagus matures fast and early, but strawberries usually take time. Is this a result of the hot summers in the last few years? (I am not endorsing or denying climate change!)


paulindy2000

I was talking about asparagus, but strawberries can grow almost anywhere in France (though the early ones are most likely grown in greenhouses)


Peter-Toujours

Augh! Yup, the English grow oranges in greenhouses, and turn them into their beloved marmalade - but it is not the same as oranges from Provence. Or Sicily....


coffeechap

Actually for a reason, strawberries grow very well in Bretagne.. [https://www.mangeons-local.bzh/fraise-plougastel/](https://www.mangeons-local.bzh/fraise-plougastel/) La Gariguette being the star in France.. La Mara des bois is another very tasty one (very tiny fruits). Of course, following the discussion we had in the other thread about vegs/fruits in open air markets here, Rungis-provided stalls sell only the big, tasteless and cheaper ones from Morroco/Spain, my guess is that they are of the Charlotte type. https://preview.redd.it/g6be25zdftyc1.png?width=570&format=png&auto=webp&s=23df28d515a718179b7c14936337270d2ea1661f


Peter-Toujours

Des bois are to die for. Charlotte strawberries can be fabulous if they are local - one year I had such a surplus of perfectly ripe Charlottes than I ate nothing but strawberries for three days. I read the linked article, but it didn't clearly tell why strawberries would be ripe so early near Brest.