Buy Strawberries
Here at Strawberry Plants .org, we would like to see everyone with half of a square foot of dirt plant their own strawberry plants and reap their own fresh-picked strawberry harvest. But, life is busy, and most people will end up buying their strawberries off the shelf at a grocery store. This is post is a guide for picking strawberries off the shelf and will help you make the most of your strawberry purchases!
buy strawberries
Knowing the practices used to grow the strawberry plants and which of the Strawberry Varieties was grown can give an educated shopper a good idea as to the taste and quality of the strawberries on the shelf. Additionally, the time of year, soil conditions, and weather conditions can also affect taste and strawberry quality.
For example, if you are buying fresh strawberries that were grown in California during the short-day season (winter), it is likely that you are either getting Camarosa strawberries, Ventana strawberries, or one of the newer cultivars, Benicia or Mojave strawberries. Similarly, you can expect to get differing strawberry flavors and nuances depending on when and where you buy strawberries. Usually, a farmer will be able to tell you exactly which cultivar of strawberry plants he planted to produce his strawberries.
Just remember, not all strawberries are created equally. Buying similar-looking strawberries in the same packaging from the same location at two different times during the year will almost certainly mean you are buying different strawberry varieties that will have differing flavor profiles. If you really want to find additional information about the strawberries you purchase, you can run the numbers through this Strawberry UPC Codes database.
So, how clean are strawberries? Usually not very, if you buy them at the store. Even though they are usually more expensive, reaching for the organically grown strawberries will likely be better for long-term health. That is just something to consider when picking strawberries off the shelf.
But, do examine the tips of the strawberries. The strawberries should be red all the way to the very tip of each berry. If the very tip of a strawberry is white or greenish, it means the strawberry was picked slightly before it was ready and will likely be slightly (or not so slightly) tart.
Remember that strawberries do not ripen once picked like tomatoes and some other fruits and vegetables do. So, if it is unripe when picked and packaged, it will be unripe when you eat it. Look for the containers that have the most evenly colored strawberries and the fewest (if any) white tips. They will taste better and have a higher nutritional value compared to the unripe ones.
Additionally, if you do see a green strawberry or obviously small, disfigured, or suspect strawberry, either get a different container or steer clear of the strawberries of that brand altogether. If a commercial operation fails to catch and cull such undesirable strawberries, their quality control mechanisms have malfunctioned. It is best to avoid produce from companies with malfunctioning quality control.
Then, once you have taken the prize back home for consumption, ponder whether or not you can grow your own strawberries next year! The information on this website will help you do it successfully, if you choose to jump into such an endeavor.
Hi, I'm Erik! Welcome to StrawberryPlants.org, your one-stop source for everything related to growing and enjoying strawberries! Here we are passionate about strawberry plants, strawberries, and everything related to this wondrous fruit.
How to know when it's the best time of year to buy fresh strawberries. Includes a look at when strawberry prices are the cheapest. Also when to expect you can pick berries at local farms in your state.
Reason, it's all about supply. There are times of year where they are way more strawberries available. This leads to smaller prices and best of all sales! Mid to late winter (February-March) is when the supply is usually the highest depending on the weather conditions in the growing regions.
Florida doesn't provide strawberries year round like California does. It's too hot there. When they are available I find them to in general be better than California strawberries. Might help that I live closer to Florida so it's not a long distance away like California is.
At this time you can often find strawberries going for as low as $1 for a 1 lb container. The later the Florida season lasts and the earlier the California season begins the better situation for consumers.
To really save money on them you must pick out what u-pick strawberries are available. Most places here in Michigan charge close to $2-$3 a pound to pick yourself. A quick Google search should help you locate the nearest u-pick strawberry patch in your area. Prices vary depending on where you live. Let me know if you need any help.
Here is a list by state of when local strawberries season begins. The weather will dedicate how early or how late the season begins and how long it lasts. The season is short. Here in Michigan it rarely goes beyond 3 weeks. Most of the strawberries are June-bearing varieties that produce one big crop once a year.
One change that has happened to the strawberry industry over the last decade is the introduction of greenhouse grown strawberries with Sunset leading the way. Their WOW berries are incredible, better than any strawberry that I didn't pick myself.
Don't buy them to be apart of your Christmas celebration. At that time strawberries are hard to come by out of California, so they are coming from Mexico and the supply is low and flavor is usually not good either.
You don't hear a lot about different varieties of strawberries. In the grocery store, they are all just strawberries. That is until recently. There have been limited amount of white Pineberries that I heard made it to some stores in Florida.
Every year for Valentine's Day you make be able to find a good sale on berries as store like to run sales on them for people wanting to dip them in chocolate. This is the only time of year I am able to find long stem strawberries. As it sounds these berries have a longer stem making them easier for dipping.
You won't have to worry about grocery store prices if you are growing your own strawberries. You can find strawberry plants for sale in the winter in warm climates and in the spring in cooler climates.
The FDA, along with CDC, and state and local partners, investigated a multistate outbreak of hepatitis A infections in the United States linked to fresh organic strawberries. These potentially contaminated strawberries were imported from Baja California, a state in northern Mexico, and branded as FreshKampo and HEB by a common supplier; they were purchased between March 5, 2022, and April 15, 2022. The Public Health Agency of Canada and the Canadian Food Inspection Agency also investigated an outbreak of hepatitis A. Imported FreshKampo brand fresh organic strawberries were identified as the likely source of the outbreak in Canada.
Currently, the potentially contaminated product is past its shelf life and not available for purchase in stores. Consumers, restaurants, and retailers should not sell, serve, or eat any fresh organic strawberries branded as FreshKampo or HEB if purchased between March 5, 2022, and April 15, 2022. People who purchased the fresh strawberries and then froze those strawberries for later consumption should not eat them. They should be thrown away. If you are unsure of what brand you purchased, when you purchased your strawberries, or where you purchased them from prior to freezing them, the strawberries should be thrown away.
If consumers purchased fresh organic strawberries branded as FreshKampo or HEB between March 5, 2022, and April 15, 2022, ate those berries in the last two weeks, and have not been vaccinated against hepatitis A, they should immediately consult with their healthcare professional to determine whether post exposure prophylaxis (PEP) is needed. PEP is recommended for unvaccinated people who have been exposed to hepatitis A virus in the last two weeks because vaccination can prevent a hepatitis A infection if given within 14 days of exposure. Those with evidence of previous hepatitis A vaccination or previous hepatitis A infection do not require PEP.
Contact your healthcare provider if you think you may have symptoms of a hepatitis A infection after eating these fresh organic strawberries, or if you believe that you have eaten these strawberries in the last two weeks.
The FDA, along with CDC, and state and local partners, is investigating a multistate outbreak of hepatitis A infections in the United States linked to fresh organic strawberries. These potentially contaminated strawberries were imported from Baja California, a state in northern Mexico, and branded as FreshKampo and HEB by a common supplier; they were purchased between March 5, 2022, and April 15, 2022. The Public Health Agency of Canada and the Canadian Food Inspection Agency are also investigating an outbreak of hepatitis A. Imported FreshKampo brand fresh organic strawberries have been identified as the likely source of the outbreak in Canada.
Currently, these imported fresh organic strawberries are past shelf life and are not available for purchase in stores. People who purchased these fresh organic strawberries between March 5, 2022, and April 15, 2022, and then froze those strawberries for later consumption, should not eat them. If you are unsure of what brand you purchased, when you purchased your strawberries, or where you purchased them from prior to freezing them, the strawberries should be thrown away.
The downstream product removal conducted by Urban Remedy and reported on June 10, 2022, is now considered a market withdrawal. It has been determined that the product was not made using implicated strawberries.
The FDA, along with CDC, and state and local partners, is investigating a multistate outbreak of hepatitis A infections in the United States linked to fresh organic strawberries. These potentially contaminated strawberries were imported from Baja California, a state in northern Mexico, and branded as FreshKampo and HEB by a common supplier; they were purchased between March 5, 2022, and April 15, 2022. The Public Health Agency of Canada and the Canadian Food Inspection Agency are also investigating an outbreak of hepatitis A. Imported fresh organic strawberries have been identified as the likely source of that outbreak. 041b061a72