The Hit and Miss of Spring Strawberries April 16, 2007

It’s Saturday afternoon and I’m racing around to re-print the newsletter. Every Friday I get together with Dan, our produce buyer, to go over what is new and unique in the crates for Monday. This Friday, he told me we had strawberries coming – the berries would be picked late on Saturday, packed on Sunday, and delivered to our customers Monday morning. The goal was to have strawberries not more than 36 hours off the vine. We were all set. Then, Saturday morning, the rain hit. It stormed in Monterey and the San Francisco Bay Area. Heavy rain makes strawberries nearly impossible to pick. Any moisture on a strawberry accelerates its deterioration. Have you ever wondered why a pint of strawberries may have soft spots where two berries touch or why mold develops quickly on some and not on others? It’s most likely moisture. The Monterey farmer we work with at ALBA Organics called and said she couldn’t pick the berries this Saturday for our Monday delivery due to rain. The good news is that the sun is breaking through and the wind is picking up – two things wet strawberries hanging on the vine need in order to dry. If all goes well we should get strawberries for delivery in our Tuesday Organic and Harvest Flyer crates. We are committed to getting fresh-picked organic strawberries for the rest of April but please remember that fruit is a perishable thing and when we work with small farmers who produce very delicious but very fragile fruits, we are at the mercy of the weather.

FruitGuys Organic Strawberries

At The FruitGuys we let our customers choose whether they prefer organic or conventional fruit. The one exception to this rule is strawberries. We have concerns about the growing process of conventional strawberries so we only buy organic strawberries. Assuming no rain, west coast customers will be getting organic strawberries from ALBA organic farmers. ALBA stands for: “Agriculture and Land-Based Training Association.” They work with farm workers on two organic farms in Monterey, California to train them in land management, conservation, and whole-farm planning. On the east coast you’ll see the Bee-Wise strawberry brand. We hope you enjoy both. For the complete list of what’s in your crate this week, go to: fruitguys.com/office-fruit-delivery/this-weeks-mix/

Enjoy and be fruitful!  chiefbanana@fruitguys.com