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WHERE DO STRAWBERRIES COME FROM?
Our BC strawberry industry has a colorful history. Before the US I5 Freeway was constructed, fresh strawberries were only available to BC residents during the actual BC harvest season. BC had substantially more acres growing strawberries and these fields were usually close to the larger cities. It was not too far for people to drive out to the surrounding farms and either pick them or buy them ready picked. Food stores were smaller and generally would often also carry strawberries produced locally and delivered daily.
BUT EVERYONE KNEW WHERE TO FIND FRESH JUICY BC STRAWBERRIES!
Times have changed and not only do we have access to fresh strawberries almost year round but we also have many consumers who don’t know where and how they are grown. And many don’t know when to look for BC fresh juicy strawberries. Consider your two options. (sure there is a third but forget about that one, there is no adventure in just going to the food store, again)
Option ONE:
Find some plastic ice cream pails, old shoes or boots, a hat if it is sunny, and strike out to harvest your own fruit. This can be high adventure as you first must find the “U Pick strawberry fields” and then you have some work cut out for you. It can take a while but is it rewarding! You will always appreciate your food more after investing some of your energy into the actual picking of fruit.
Option TWO:
Go for a drive to the country and look for BC strawberry signs. Car-pool if you don’t have a car! Buy enough fresh strawberries to last for just a couple of days of fresh eating. Freeze or can the rest.
Either option means that you will enjoy strawberry taste from field ripened fruit that is generally not available in the chain stores. BC strawberry growers guarantee that you will not be disappointed in the fresh juicy taste of field-ripened strawberries. You may even give up on imported berries until our next BC harvest of strawberries. The wait is worth it.
However, before you make the trek to the country, it may be advisable to call ahead to be sure there is a supply. Since we have a decreasing number of farmers willing to sell BC strawberries direct from their fields, you could be disappointed if the fields are all picked out.
And for those of you who want to pick only part of your requirements, farms that sell U Pick strawberries also sell ready picked. So if time is just too important for you to be able to pick strawberries, BC Strawberry growers encourage you to join the trend, go for second best and buy ready picked strawberries direct from the source, BC strawberry fields.
Take a drive out to the country
& enjoy the fresh taste of
BC Strawberries
Did you know that strawberries
- were cultivated in ancient Rome!
- were used as a medicinal herb as early as the 13th Century.
- are not really a fruit or a berry but are the enlarged receptacle of the flower.
- are grown in every province in Canada.
- are a member of the Rose family!
- have a museum dedicated to them in Belgium.
- were first cultivated back in the 16th and 17th Centuries.
- have only 55 calories per cup, 0 cholesterol! and 0 fat...go ahead indulge.
- are very high in vitamin C, potassium, and antioxidants.
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