Kashubian Strawberries

Truskawka kaszubska received EU Protected Geographical Indication in 2009 and the case for it rests on soil and climate: the Kashubian moraine hills have sandy, acidic, not especially fertile ground and a cool maritime climate that slows ripening, and the fruit that results is smaller, firmer and higher in sugar and aroma than strawberries grown on richer lowland soil. The season is short, roughly late June into July, and the fruit does not travel well, which is why it is mostly sold locally from roadside stalls and at markets rather than exported. Several Kashubian villages hold strawberry festivals in July - Truskawkobranie - with picking, competitions, music and quantities of the fruit eaten on the spot, of which the one at Zukowo is among the better known. Outside the season the name is meaningless. Buying at the roadside from growers is both cheaper and better than in shops.

What you actually see

• Poor soil, better fruit - sandy acidic moraine and a cool climate concentrating sugar.
• A short season - late June into July, and no longer.
• Roadside selling - fruit that does not travel, sold where it is grown.
• July festivals - Truskawkobranie in several Kashubian villages.

When to go

Late June to July. An hour.

Honest expectations

The season is genuinely brief and weather can shorten it further. Fruit sold under the name outside Kashubia or outside July is not the protected product. Roadside stalls take cash.

Nearby

Kartuzy, Chmielno and the Kashubian lake villages are the growing area.