Strawberries aren’t actually berries. It’s true. The University of California at Davis says so, and UCDavis is one of the leading strawberry research centers in the world (if you’ve ever tasted a fresh California strawberry, this won’t surprise you). Perhaps even harder to believe: the university swears that strawberries are actually members of the rose family and are known as “false” fruits. And — stay with me here — it’s not the rich red flesh that’s the actual fruit, it’s the tiny membrane known as an achene that surrounds the seed that’s the fruit, at least as far as botanists are concerned.Doesn’t that kind of blow your mind?In the end, it doesn’t really matter. They’re still delicious, they still have tons of vitamin C, fiber and folate and they still help fight cancer in all kinds of ways. Current research indicates that they’re especially helpful in fighting off liver cancers. If you’re like me and you secretly wonder if it’s worthwhile to buy organic instead of the standard big-farm brands, research shows that the organic ones are in fact higher in nutrition, and are especially rich in vitamin C (which is one of the most powerful of the cancer-fighting antioxidants).It should be fairly easy to find organic berries at this time of year, when local strawberries are ripe and are throwing off their tantalizing scent from their boxes at farm markets such as Paley’s in Sharon. If you find an organic pick-your-own farm, or if you just can’t resist buying multiple boxes at your favorite farmstand, here’s a tip for preserving berries from the scientists at UC Davis: Freeze them or turn them into jam or jelly but don’t can them. I’m not sure why anyone would can them without turning them into jam or jelly first, but I’m not exactly a big expert on preserving. To freeze them, you’re supposed to choose ones that are slightly tart (I know, this entire article is like a giant leap of faith). Wash them, cut the tops off and slice or crush them. Pack them in sugar or a simple syrup (equal parts sugar and water, boiled until the sugar crystals dissolve). Serve them with some of the ice crystals still on them, according to UC Davis, or your fruit will be mushy (or shall we say, it will be even mushier, since obviously the frozen fruit will not be as firm as the fresh version).If you’re like me and are too lazy to learn how to make jam and preserve it, try this recipe by Daniel Orr, published in Food and Wine magazine. It’s great and it’s easy. And in keeping with the counterintuitive nature of this entire article, it’s spicy and peppery. It’s called an “icebox jam” because it isn’t put up in sterilized jars; it’s stored in your refrigerator and should be eaten within two weeks. You can also try freezing it; I’ve had very good luck with freezing jam in small plastic storage containers.Icebox strawberry jamAdapted from Food and Wine magazine2 cups of strawberries, thickly sliced; 1/4 cup honey; 1/4 teaspoon finely grated lemon zest; a pinch of coarse salt and a grind of finely ground fresh pepper; a splash of a jammy red wine (optional)Put the strawberries (if you have some raspberries, black or red, add them in too), honey, lemon zest and salt and pepper in a heavy smallish saucepan. Bring the mixture to a boil, then simmer over low heat, stirring occasionally, for about 40 minutes (start keeping a close eye on it after 20 minutes; add the wine, if using, at around that 20-minute point, too. The boiling seems to intensify the bite of the pepper, so be careful when you take your first bite. And yes, it’s a surprise when strawberry jam bites you back; but if you’ve lived a little bit of life then you know that jam is better when it’s more than just sweet.
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Greg Fricke and James Boehmer, co-owners of Peggy Mercury in Kent, recently launched their first fashion line, “Imaginary Concerts.”
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Fricke and Boehmer are not there to stock their shelves with the same products customers find at standard makeup retailers. They’re there to help customers find what works for them. That usually means asking customers about themselves and learning about their beauty habits, skin, style and the way they like to present themselves. Fricke and Boehmer believe it’s their job to help customers bring out the qualities that suit them and determine what works best for their look.
So much of the Peggy Mercury world is about emboldening people to become more creative, and possibly bolder, versions of themselves. Some of this comes through the store’s creative collaborations with artists, designers and stylists.
It’s part of an ethos that encourages them and their friends to use the shop as a kind of laboratory, trying out new creative experiments without knowing how they might turn out. Whether in fashion, painting, fiber arts or photography, the projects almost always turn out marvelously.
A line of sterling silver charms they sell started as a small project by their friend Nolan Percival. In the beginning, the pieces were for close friends and loved ones. But Boehmer and Fricke encouraged Percival to get a little more serious about the project and create a whole line for the store. Today, it’s one of their top-selling collections.
Classic styles, bold colors, and creative concerts make up the “Imaginary Concerts” line at Peggy Mercury.Provided
“Imaginary Concerts” has the duo taking their own advice.
The project started as a way for Boehmer to connect with his mother, who had been diagnosed with Alzheimer’s disease. Taking old concert shirts from his own collection, Boehmer and his mother began cutting out the graphics with the idea that they would make a quilt together. Unfortunately, she died before they could complete the project in 2025. The pieces, which were ready for production, were put on the back burner as Boehmer and Fricke dealt with their loss and the whirlwind of projects that never seemed to cease at Peggy Mercury.
But the harsh winter of 2026 presented an opportunity to take some time and focus on themselves. Part of that meant revisiting and redefining the concert T-shirt project. This time, instead of looking to the warmth and comfort of a quilt, they turned to another passion — fashion.
Taking a page from their own book, they wanted to create something that felt comfortable to them. They took two disparate loves — one rooted in simple preppy style, with clean lines and classic silhouettes, and the other in the nitty gritty worlds of punk rock and pop — and blended them together to create something entirely new. Pulling from the staples of vintage Brooks Brothers and Charvet collections, they applied the graphic elements with bold stitching reminiscent of punk jackets of the ‘70s and ‘80s, but with a much more sophisticated air.
But the remixing isn’t just the pairing of prep and punk. The pieces are not canon. They take liberties with the realities of concert tours, combining one band’s dates with another band’s logos, mixing them all up until the reality is lost and imagination is the only truth.
Shirts from Peggy Mercury’s first fashion line, “Imaginary Concerts,” hang on display.Provided
Adding to the mix is an element of perpetual creativity. Art can be messy, both figuratively and literally, and many of Fricke and Boehmer’s artist friends carry evidence of their work on them at all times. As a nod to these tireless creatives, the duo added haphazard splashes of bright color, giving the line an even more distinctive feel.
For them, “Imaginary Concerts” passes the “Peggy Test.” The mythical Peggy Mercury is a fictional figurehead for the company, a character who thrives on creativity and change. The name, much like the clothing line, is a mixture of interests: Mercury is a planet, a deity and an elusive, transformative element, while Peggy is the wonderfully stylish and boundary-pushing Peggy Guggenheim.
Everything Fricke and Boehmer put in their store has to pass this test: Would Peggy Mercury approve? For their first collection, the answer is a resounding yes.
Peggy Mercury is at 9 Maple St., Unit 2, Kent.
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