The Omakase Strawberry
Have you ever picked up a picture-perfect strawberry only to wince in disappointment at its lack of flavor and pulpy interior? That’s because so much fruit sold in the United States is cultivated for high yields and uniform appearance on the shelf. Sadly, the tradeoff is flavor. But New Jersey purveyor Oishii takes a more quality-driven approach to produce the Omakase strawberry, a winter varietal native to Japan.
Guided by co-founder and CEO Hiroki Koga, Oishii’s advanced indoor, vertical farming techniques turn this mishandled fruit into a delicacy so sweet and silky it surpasses even the strawberry of your childhood memories—and it’s available all year.
The seeds appear smaller than normal and are more recessed into the berry’s pillowy exterior. You get a sense for its perfume before it’s even near your mouth. Luscious and creamy in texture, the Omakase floods the palate with that intensely pronounced, sweet strawberry flavor that will spark your taste memory.
At Mugen Farm, the world’s largest vertical strawberry farming operation, Oishii cultivates Omakase in conditions meticulously calibrated to mimic the climate of the Japanese Alps on the island of Honshu where it thrives. It’s all done through robotics, which constantly measure and adjust temperature, CO2 humidity, light and even windspeed. Yet, the human hand still plays a crucial part, as Oishii’s farmers oversee the process and have a keen ability to pick fruit at optimal ripeness.
Of course, you pay for the privilege. The Omakase comes in eight-count trays of large strawberries and 11-count packages of medium-sized fruits, each priced at $20. Like a fine cheese, these gems should be served at room temperature, so let them sit for 10 or 15 minutes out of the refrigerator to get the chill out and release their aromatics. Once you take a bite, popping another immediately after will be inevitable. You could adorn a fine desert with these strawberries but we recommend eating them alone for the full effect. Savor the experience, write a haiku and ponder the future of fruit through vertical farming. Just don’t throw them in your smoothie.
