In Strawberry Heaven

Big, bland and boring: That's the typical modern strawberry. Firm-fleshed for easy shipping, it offers little excitement. No wonder we dip it in chocolate. Sample a tiny wild strawberry, smaller than a pea, or the slightly larger alpine strawberry, which gardeners can grow from seed, and the contrast is heartbreaking. But it's rare to harvest more than a cupful of these beauties.

The French have no such dilemma. They feast heartily on a modern variety called Mara des Bois, whose taste is nearly as sublime as that of a dainty alpine's. But the experience is more satisfying because the fruit is larger. It was hybridized by strawberry breeder Jacques Marionnet in 1991 from four varieties with the goal of achieving a complex, intense flavor. Its season in France is late August into fall. A friend who hikes in the Alps in September rhapsodizes about its appearance in market towns.

This year our household has been blessed with its first crop of Mara des Bois, and we are in strawberry heaven. A bed planted in our small greenhouse mid-fall yielded healthy plants that started to produce in early spring. Since this is an everbearing variety, it is designed to bloom and fruit all season, weather permitting.

There's a bit of a catch. The plants, though sun-loving, are stressed by intense heat, humidity, drying winds and stagnant air. But one taste absolves them of this princess-y behavior. If grown outdoors, it's best to put them in a spot that gets good air circulation but not strong wind, and during Washington's hot summers it would help to cover them with shade cloth (available at garden centers). The plants might stop bearing when it's hot, then start up again when it's cooler.

Mara des Bois were nearly unheard of in the United States until a few years ago. The best source is the company Wicked Wilds in Solana Beach, Calif., just north of San Diego ( http://www.wickedwilds.com, 858-755-7650). Owner David Chelf grows them organically in his brilliantly designed inflated greenhouses, which regulate the outflow of moisture and inflow of carbon dioxide with precision. Plants are $2 each with a minimum order of 20.

Chelf suggests planting some now for a late crop. Instead of the standard practice of picking off the first flowers to let plants put energy into growth, he advises leaving them on and letting the fruits come. The first ones will be on the small side, but with a more concentrated flavor. Treated well, they will increase in vigor over the years, and because they make runners, you can expand the growing area over time. And, trust me, this will become your dearest wish.