Strawberry fields for the next 3 weeks

Hello Everyone!
The local strawberry season is just on the cusp of starting. One of my growers will be going through their field for the first this morning (Tuesday) and will bring me what they can. Chances are that quantities will be very low over the next couple of days, just enough for some lucky customers who happen to hit the timing right to go home with a few pints of berries to either hide from, or share with their families. Either way, we won't judge.

My larger berry producers hope to start picking this coming Friday, so some time next week Strawberry season will start in earnest. Once production is in full force, we will be selling 4 litre containers of berries (price yet to be set as my growers haven't figured out their selling price to me yet, they have to add up their gas bills). Right now we're taking down people's names and numbers so that we can start calling them when the large baskets of berries become available. We can't really book for specific dates yet as we don't know what production will be like this year.

Way too much information about local Strawberries

Once the season starts in earnest, the farmers start out in the fields at about 6 am, ready for our pick up at around 9 am, meaning that we get back to the shop with them by 11am....give or take. If it has rained, the farmer may decide to let the berries dry for a few hours before picking which may delay delivery, or may have to wait until the rain stops before picking. I keep a keen eye on the forecast, if several days of rain is predicted, I increase my berry orders for the day before the rain. I figure that everyone prefers day old berries (still 500 times better than the imports) to no berries at all.

Choosing local Strawberries

-Strawberries will not ripen once picked so be sure to choose berries that have full red coverage. Shade of red (light red to dark purple) has more to do with variety of berry than ripeness. Kent, a preferred variety in Manitoba, has a fatter shape and clearer red colour than the gluescap variety which is a deep red/purple colour. Many customers often mistake Gluescap berries for overripe discards. Californian berries are bred with the priority being "able to withstand shipping" rather than being "tasty and juicy". Local berries will look less uniform and may bruise more easily than the imports....but the taste makes their diversity of look so very worthwhile.

Caring for your berries

Strawberries have a very high water content and a porous skin. Store berries unwashed, in the refrigerator for 3-4 days, away from strongly smelling foods (onions, garlic) whose flavours and smells the berry may pick up.

Wash your berries just before you plan to use them, removing the calyx (green caps on top) AFTER washing to prevent water absorption. As with all other soft fruit, we recommend serving strawberries at room temperature to bring out the sugars...mmmm

If you purchase berries that are wet from a recent rain, gently pour your container of berries out onto a cookie sheet covered in a towel before placing in your fridge. The towel will help to absorbed any moisture from the fields!

Freezing local berries

Local strawberries in your freezer make a Manitoba winter downright enjoyable. It's simple

1. Wash berries with caps still on

2. Remove green caps, let dry

3 Lay in a single layer on a cookie sheet

4. Place in freezer until frozen solid

5. Bag in freezer bags in sizes appropriate for your family.

6. Store in the freezer for up to one year.

Nutrition
100 g strawberries (about 10)
27 Kcals
0.0 g fat
2.7 g fibre
77 mg vitamin C (192% RDA)
20 mg folic acid (10% RDA)
0.06 mg vitamin B6 (9% RDA)
They contain more vitamin C than oranges, are high in fibre, low in calories and a good source of folic acid

????????

So why are locally grown strawberries so darned good, and why do they cost more than the imported berries from far far away?

Good questions, I'm glad that you asked.

1.Locally produced strawberries taste better than their imported counterparts because

-our soil is a heavier clay loam rather than the sandy soils of California. Soil type in itself changes the characteristics of what it grows.

-Because our growers don't export to far away places they can choose to grow verities for flavour rather than for shape retention and can pick their berries when they are at their peak ripeness without having to worry about them squishing during transport.

-We have winter, it makes for a hardier plant that I believe produces a sweeter, juicier berry.

-I think our local small producers put extra love in their berries

2. Locally produced strawberries are more expensive than their California counterparts because

-Farmers in Manitoba do not enjoy the same government subsidized petroleum products that farmers in the USA do

-Manitoba farmers have to plant strawberry plants, cover them with straw to make them survive the winter, and uncover them in the spring before they get their first crop off of the field. Our winters really shorten the berry production season, meaning that for the same amount of work, our growers harvest strawberries for about a third of the amount of time that a California grower can.

-Our minimum wage is almost $9.00 per hour, on top of this hourly pay local growers have to provide free inspected housing, airfare, and HR services to migrant workers from Mexico who pick our berries for us as it is impossible for the growers to find a reliable local work force willing to do field work.

-The economy of scale. The US growers sell to 300 million people in the US, making shipping routes, warehousing and all of the paraphernalia needed for cheap big business possible. Manitoba just doesn't have the population to keep up with the big boys....and I kinda like it that way.

Remember folks, Strawberry season is a short but sweet 3 weeks long. They wait for no one, so enjoy them while you can.