Trouble hulling the summer strawberry haul

SIR – Strawberries no longer hull (Letters, July 14), and freestone peaches do not free.

Why is this? Felicity Thompson Cranleigh, Surrey

SIR – Contrary to your correspondent John Hewett’s experience, I have been able, for the first time in years, to hull each of the summer’s strawberries exactly as I learnt at my mother’s knee.

You need to grab and twist in order to free the centre easily.

Eleanor Patrick

Elsdon, Northumberland

SIR – I hull strawberries with a potato peeler. One twist with the pointed end, and out it comes.

Liddle Stokoe

Ashtead, Surrey

SIR – My 12-year-old granddaughter hulls strawberries with complete success by pushing a drinking straw through the middle.

Bernadette Whitehead

Seaford, East Sussex

SIR – John Hewett asks why it is no longer possible to hull strawberries simply by pulling on the stalk. The answer is simple; they are not ripe.

Strawberries bought in most shops these days are grown under plastic sheeting. Even “greenhouses” are nearly all plastic. This prohibits the transmission of those constituents of sunlight necessary to sweeten and ripen the fruit. This is why so many strawberries have no flavour.

The same applies to tomatoes and any other fruit and vegetables grown for profit. For best results, buy fruit grown outdoors, or grow your own.

Doug Thom Woolsery, Devon

SIR – The variety of strawberry which John Hewett remembers from when he was young is called Royal Sovereign. This variety is not deemed suitable for today’s commercial market, even though it is one of the best-tasting strawberries ever bred.

When this strawberry is ripe, a gentle pull with the index and middle finger under the fruit will leave the hull on the plant. I ordered a dozen of these plants only a few weeks ago. Roll on next summer! John Newbury

Warminster, Wiltshire