National Pick Strawberries Day is May 20. The Los Angeles Times recently published an article that takes a look at how A Day in the Strawberry Fields Seems Like Forever where the highlights and downside of being a field picker are featured.
Picking strawberries can yield tempting dishes like Strawberry Pie
If you’ve ever spent the day picking strawberries, you know they are a very tender fruit, bruising and discoloring from being squeezed or handled too roughly. Some varieties, like Surecrop berries, are easier to pick than others.
Here are 4 tips on how to pick strawberries:
- Grasp stem between the forefinger and the thumbnail and pull upward with a slight twisting motion.
- Once the stem breaks, allow the berry to roll into the palm of your hand.
- Carefully place the strawberries into your container.
- Don’t overfill containers or pack the strawberries down.
Tips:
- Try and keep the cap on the strawberry, otherwise, the strawberry may experience bruising.
- Process strawberries without the cap soon after picking.
- Keep an eye on your feet and knees so plants and ripening strawberries are not damaged along the row.
- Containers holding strawberries more than five inches deep will bruise the lower berries
- Only pick the bright red, ripened strawberries for consumption, but pick the row clean by removing strawberries showing rot, insect tampering, or sunburn.
- If you plan to keep the strawberries for a few days, try and pick them in the early morning.
- Keep strawberries as cool as possible after picking–try and avoid the car trunk or inside of a hot car.
- Strawberries keep well in the fridge for up to three days.
It seems like a lot of work, some may find harvesting the berries delightful.
.Julee Morrison is a quirky, dorky, North Carolina Transplant with an appetite to taste the world, meets its desserts and blog about them. When she’s not behind the computer you can find her playing with her family, reading a good book, being a Bon Jovi fangirl and celebrating the little things.