Strawberry season usually begins around the first week of June. The season usually lasts 2-3 weeks, but can sometimes be even shorter if the weather is not favorable. The dates can vary greatly depending on the weather and early Spring temperatures. Over 30 varieties of strawberries are available to commercial growers, characterized primarily by the number of days they take to ripen, size, firmness, freezing quality, and resistance to disease. Almost every year, new varieties become available and others are discontinued. We continue to experiment with new varieties in search of the perfect berry one that is best suited for our soil types and growing conditions. Currently, most of our acreage is devoted to Earliglow. Our number one criteria for variety selection is great flavor and good freezing quality.
A large, beautifully shaped, juicy, red berry isnt worth much if it has poor flavor. We work very hard to keep our fields weed free and in well-defined rows. The fields get walked at least twice per month in search of weeds unfortunately, we have been very successful at finding weeds each time we do this.
FACTS
AND FOLKLORE
- One serving of strawberries (about 8 medium berries) contains:
more Vitamin C than an orange!
20% of daily value Folic Acid (proven to reduce birth defects)
No fat, No Cholesterol, and very high in fiber!
- One quart of strawberries
weighs about 1-1 ½ lbs.
- One cup of fresh berries equals about 10 oz. frozen, sweetened berries.
- The strawberry, as we know it,
was originally grown in northern Europe, but species are also found in
Russia, Chile, and in every US state and every province in Canada.
- In France, strawberries were
cultivated in the 13th Century as a medicinal herb.
- The first American species was cultivated in about 1835.
- It is said that the leaves, roots, and fruit of this plant were used for:
-- Internally, the berry was used for diarrhea and digestive upset
-- The leaves and roots were used for gout.
-- Externally, they were used for sunburn and skin blemishes, and
the juice was used for discolored teeth.
The best strawberries to buy are the ones you pick yourself from your local strawberry fields. Farm fresh berries are hours old, with little or no handling. Berry size is not important, all berries are equally sweet and juicy. Try to pick berries early in the morning or later in the day when the fruit is naturally cool. Berries are best used within 2-3 days of picking. Cover and store in cool, well-ventilated containers.
Frozen Berries Without Sugar
Fill freezer container with prepared slices, or washed and dried berries, to within ½" of the top. Combine 4 cups cold water with 1 tblsp. lemon juice and pour over berries before freezing. Seal, label, and date. Use within year.
Frozen Berries With Sugar
Fill freezer container with prepared berries to within ½" of top.
Combine 4 cups water with 1 cup sugar, stir to dissolve. Pour over berries.
Seal, label, date. Allow 1 ½ cup fruit and 1/3 cup syrup per 1 pint container.
Freezing in Dry Pack, Sweetened
Toss 3/4 cup sugar with 4 cups prepared berries; let stand until juice
forms and sugar is almost dissolved. Pack in storage containers leaving ½"
head space. Seal, label, date.
Individual Quick Freezing
Using firm, ripe berries, washed in ice water, drained on paper towels.
Place on a flat tray in single layer, well spaced out, and put in coldest part
of freezer. Store in quart containers after frozen or in heavy freezer bags that
are tightly sealed, with all the air vented out. Use these berries on cereal,
dessert tops, or as ice cubes in fancy drinks.
Sweet-Hot Strawberry BBQ Sauce
2 cups fresh Strawberries, hulled and sliced
1/3 cup Strawberry Preserves
1/3 cup Ketchup
2 Tblsp. Soy Sauce
2 Tblsp. Lemon Juice
1 Large Garlic Clove
1 tsp. Chopped Ginger
½ tsp. Cayenne Powder
½ tsp. Fresh Lemon Zest, Grated
1 Scallion, Minced
2 Tblsp. Cilantro, Chopped
Place all ingredients in blender and puree until smooth. Makes 2 cups. This sauce is great on foul, fish, pork and beef.
Strawberry Pie
1 Quart Strawberries (cleaned and sliced)
½ pkg. Wild Strawberry Jell-O
2 Tblsp. Corn Starch
1 cup Sugar
1 cup Hot Water
1 Pre-Baked Pie Shell
Mix all dry ingredients in a medium saucepan, and then add hot water and cook over low heat until it boils. Boil until it thickens, stirring constantly. Put berries into pie shell and pour warm mixture over berries. Chill in refrigerator for 3-4 hours before serving.
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