Florida Strawberry Growers Association
Strawberries make an elegant, romantic dessert, served
dipped in chocolate (or champagne) or simply sliced.

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Declare your love
with strawberries

The season's first crop of strawberries has arrived from California for Valentine's dipping and dining. The luscious berries cost $1.48 for a 12-ounce basket to Foodland Maika'i Club members ($2.49 to others), or $2.98 for a 16-ounce basket at Daiei, through Saturday.

Dip the red gems into dark, milk or white "tempered" or "dipping" chocolate, specially treated to harden. Find the chocolate at kitchen specialty shops and candy-making stores.

Or accompany the berries with a dusting of confectioner's sugar and a bowl of lite sour cream.

Other Chinese New Year produce buys include Chinese snow peas at $1.97 a pound to Sack N Save Maika'i Club members ($2.99 to others); $2.29 to Foodland Maika'i members ($2.99 to others); $2.29 at Star; and $2.48 at Daiei, through Saturday.

Also, green bell peppers are $1.39 pound at Times, and vitamin C-rich red bell peppers are $1.99 pound at Foodland. Fresh pork roasts cost 87 to 99 cents a pound at Daiei, Foodland, Sack N Save and Safeway. And, festive frozen duck is $1.57 a pound to Sack N Save Maika'i members, $1.99 to others.

Daiei offers other celebratory fruits -- honey tangerines for 98 cents a pound, Chile-grown nectarines at $1.68 a pound, and Kauai rambutans for $4.48 a pound.

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By Catherine Kekoa Enomoto, Star-Bulletin