At the end of March I had the pleasure of being flown out to Ventura California to tour a strawberry field by the California Strawberries to learn more about California strawberries! Strawberries are one of my favourite foods so it was a thrill to be able to visit a strawberry farm! Although strawberries are grown year round in California I tend to see them as one of the first signs of spring and they are at their peak during spring. Given that it was still snowing here in Toronto the day before I left, I was pleased to see a warm sunny day in California and to be able to tour a strawberry farm while snacking on as many strawberries as I could eat!
The farm that we visited was Terry Berries which is owned by Edgar Terry, a forth generation farmer, and his son William who runs the day to day operations. While there we learned a lot about how their strawberries are grown and harvested all from the comfort of a hayride! The strawberries are actually hand picked and placed directly into the packaging that you find them in in the store which is amazing given that 90% of strawberries produced in the US come from California!
Yes, I ate a lot of strawberries that day!
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Of course there was also plenty of tasty food using strawberries through the day including: Strawberry Gazpacho, Strawberries Stuffed with Herbed Farmers Cheese Rolled in Pecan and Bacon Dust with Balsamic Drizzle, Kale and Strawberry Salad with Grapes, Candied Pecans, Blue Cheese and a Raspberry Vinaigrette, Grilled Chicken Tacos with Strawberry and Avocado Salsa and Anejo Cheese, Kobe Beef and Bacon Sliders with PB and Strawberry Jam with a side of Waffle Fries with Strawberry Ketchup, Babyback Ribs with Strawberry BBQ Sauce and Crabcakes with Strawberry and Honeydew Salsa!
While there I also got the chance to meet some new food blogging friends including Monica from Run Eat Repeat, Anne from fannetastic food and Liz from The Lemon Bowl (whose blog I have been following for a while).
I will miss you sunny California and your strawberry fields!
Hey, that's my berry stand, only a few minutes away from my house! I love the fact that their berries are ready in early February. Glad you enjoyed the visit and the berries.
What a fun trip!! And BOY do THESE sound GOOD!!!!!: "Strawberries Stuffed with Herbed Farmers Cheese Rolled in Pecan and Bacon Dust with Balsamic Drizzle". Drooling!
what a fun trip! it's so important to see where our food comes from, 'd love to visit a strawberry farm. xo jillian – cornflake dreams
Rona: Those were so good! I am definitely going to have to make them soon!
What a fun trip Kevin!
Here in northern CA we KNOW it's spring when the local stand down my street opens. Tuesday I purchased a half-flat. Nothing like still-warm berries picked within an hour. Please come back and experience all the wonderful bounty California has to offer.
Here in northern CA we KNOW it's spring when the local stand down my street opens. Tuesday I purchased a half-flat. Nothing like still-warm berries picked within an hour. Please come back and experience all the wonderful bounty California has to offer.
Here in Florida, we have a Strawberry Festival that last 2 weeks and Florida berries are so much sweeter than California's. It is usually the last week of Feb and the week of March. Big name entertainers are there everyday to put on a show. They is a midway with rides for the kids and a building for crafts that are strawberry related. Come down to Florida next year and see us!
Dawn: That sounds like a fun way to celebrate strawberries!