When it's frigid and icy in West Virginia, the demand for strawberries seems to go up. That's based on my observation waiting in line two different times for two women running strawberry businesses in the Charleston area. From my understanding, they ship strawberries directly from Florida and meet people in random parking lots, as noted on Facebook, and the people come. They line up. And they buy alllll the strawberries.

The Strawberry Lady



Arguably the more popular of the two strawberry vendors, The Strawberry Lady has a box truck full of strawberries that they deliver around to various points in the Metro Valley. The first time I tried to get some in Kanawha City, they actually sold out while I was still in line.



So, when they came back, I was an hour early to make sure I got my fix. You can purchase by the flat ($32) or half flat ($16), and jam is $4 -- which is so smart for those with $20 bills. They are cash or check only. I got a half flat and shared with some friends. One thing I noticed about these ones is that they are not quite as ripe as the other, but they are huge. 


M & C Strawberries



These folks seem to be more consistently set up at the India Center at Southridge. They are more expensive - a half flat here was $20 and a full flat here is $40.



These strawberries were perfectly ripe and beautiful. So, what's the verdict? They're both tasty. I think it depends if you want to go for size or flavor. Either way, they're both lovely fresh in the midst of winter.