Strawbewrries are out-of-season in CA too… I think. The strawberries I’m seeing in the stores are all from Mexico.

I was hoping for kumquats, but I think I’m a little early.

I remember pineapple being available in Nebraska for Christmas. Surely not grown there, but a holiday thing none-the-less.

Oranges and and nuts in the stockings, and maybe some chocolates too. Different world.

It seems if they offer them as an ingredient, they shouldn't be dinged for using them!

Oh those shows......

That is a ridiculous whine. They are in season SOMEWHERE. And they were likely sourced from that somewhere. The magic of modern trade.

I think things like that are food snobs looking for reasons to sniff and snark. I cannot watch shows like that anymore. Can we just appreciate that they made a turkey out of a strawberry without going all righteous foodie indignation? I can. I guess the "Expert" judges cannot.

So sorry I did not grow and harvest the sugarcane for this cake myself. No, I did not mill my own wheat for it either......so sorry. No, I did not climb a tree in Madagascar to get the vanilla.......sorry, I am useless and cant cook.....The eggs? No, I cannot tell you the maiden name of the chicken that laid them......and I did not churn the butter either.....

LOL, I do often mill flour for bread, but I sure don't grow the grain!

I can still buy strawberries in stores here too. They're definitely pricier than during peak season, and not as nice either, so just because I can buy them doesn't mean I will.

And as for citrus, harvest season is usually fall and winter, so it's in season now.

Was there a stipulation for in season foods for the contest?

It's a seasonal themed show, though I can't remember which one. i'm pretty csure they were making Thanksgiving pies. The strawberry turkeys were adoresble. The only knock were that they were too Springy. I wouldn't do strawberry pie for T’day, but why not decor? For many years, we made tons of cookies for Chanukah, but for the mobs my mother bought Swiss fruit torte. December. That's puff filled with pastry custard, and, under the requisite glaze, covered densely with fresh fruit, inc. pineapple, grapes, bananas and kiwi, though I don't for sure remember if it had strawberries. I'm pretty sure there were blueberries, but could be wrong on that. There were all kinds of beatiful fruit.

I think of citrus as a winter crop. I always have more oranges, lemons, and limes in the winter than I do in the summer.

I'm not a huge fan of strawberries, but I think that they are always in season in Costa Rica. I was surprised at how ubiquitous they were there.

On a day to day basis, we try to eat locally as much as possible but of course, if we want bananas of pineapples, then we have to buy imports. Christmas here is a time to eat lots of exotics like dates and others. So, yes. I agree.

Durian ...