It's Strawberry Time Here!

[Iron Woode]

I went to Heemans - https://heeman.ca/ - to get some strawberries and look around. I bought a flat (8quarts) of berries at $34.00 CDN. Expensive but fresh organic berries aren't cheap.

The variety was Wendy - https://heeman.ca/heemans-strawberries/strawberry-varieties/

They were fantastic! Large and a nice deep red. So sweet and tasty. I decided to make a big batch of jam out of most of them. I split half the flat with my GF.

I used Clubhouse No Cook Freezer Jam packets - http://www.clubhouse.ca/en-ca/products/specialites/freezer-jam/no-cook-freezer-jam-gelling-powder

It takes about 30 minutes and uses 1 1/2 cups of sugar so it makes it easier for diabetics to enjoy.

The jam is slightly runnier but it has the right balance of sweet and fruit taste.

Peanut butter and jam sandwiches taste so good. The jam would also be great on vanilla ice cream or perhaps a sundae.

 

[BoomerD]

$34 for a flat of strawberries? Fucking crazy. I bought a flat from one of the local growers while we were in California...$10...and I thought that was high.

But wait...$34 Canadian? Isn't that like $6.75 US?

 

[Iron Woode]

$34 for a flat of strawberries? Fucking crazy. I bought a flat from one of the local growers while we were in California...$10...and I thought that was high.

But wait...$34 Canadian? Isn't that like $6.75 US?

LOL

probably close to $20. what can I say? things are expensive here.

 

[RLGL]

Just coming in in MN also do not know price

 

[sdifox]

LOL

probably close to $20. what can I say? things are expensive here.

More like 24

 

[Kaido]

Kaido's Awesome Breakfast:

1. Vanilla yogurt
2. Sliced strawberries
3. Crumbled-up granola bar

Put everything in a bowl in order & enjoy! The trick to awesome granola isn't to use dried granola, it's to use a chewy granola bar so that you get a nice, sticky chew with the yogurt & berries.

 

[KillerCharlie]

That is an insane price for strawberries.

Also, organic is a joke (at least in the US). There's a laundry list of chemicals you can put on strawberries and still call them USDA organic.
I was shocked to find out the tomatoes I grow are technically organic, even though I spray them with non-organic chemicals for blight, insects, and calcium.

 

[GagHalfrunt]

Also, organic is a joke (at least in the US). There's a laundry list of chemicals you can put on strawberries and still call them USDA organic.

That.

 

[KMFJD]

Strawberry picking is easy if it's done correctly...

How they used to pick them:

How it's done now:

 

[ElFenix]

Strawberry picking is easy if it's done correctly...

How they used to pick them:

How it's done now:

who says Americans won't pick produce?

 

[Carson Dyle]

Kaido's Awesome Breakfast:

1. Vanilla yogurt
2. Sliced strawberries
3. Crumbled-up granola bar

Put everything in a bowl in order & enjoy! The trick to awesome granola isn't to use dried granola, it's to use a chewy granola bar so that you get a nice, sticky chew with the yogurt & berries.

1. PLAIN _Greek_ yogurt
2. Diced strawberries, bananas, peaches, cherries, any other berries, or just a little honey
3. Cereal granola

1. The higher the fat content, the better. None of that 0% or 2% stuff. Greek Gods Traditional Plain is good, so is Fage Total Plain.

2. Adds all the sweetness you need, along with the granola, which is also sweetened.

3. Dry granola cereal. Bear Naked V'nilla Almond is one of my favorites in yogurt. And there's your vanilla flavoring if you really like vanilla (I do). You _want_ the crunch. Some rice crisps are good, too.

 

[Pulsar]

Strawberry season here in Michigan is edging toward the end. My patch only has a few nice ones left that the kids haven't scavenged. I've had California Strawberries.... we get them up here all the time in the winter. They don't even come close to fresh Michigan Strawberries. I've been told it's the soil in Calfornia. They must have to irrigate the hell out of them since they want a very very wet climate.

 

[Kaido]

1. PLAIN _Greek_ yogurt
2. Diced strawberries, bananas, peaches, cherries, any other berries, or just a little honey
3. Cereal granola

1. The higher the fat content, the better. None of that 0% or 2% stuff. Greek Gods Traditional Plain is good, so is Fage Total Plain.

2. Adds all the sweetness you need, along with the granola, which is also sweetened.

3. Dry granola cereal. Bear Naked V'nilla Almond is one of my favorites in yogurt. And there's your vanilla flavoring if you really like vanilla (I do). You _want_ the crunch. Some rice crisps are good, too.

I'm not a fan of most dry cereal granola. Some are good (Paleonola's original flavor is really good), but try a crumbled-up gooey (not dry, not like a Nature's Valley drywall version) granola bar...the chewiness actually goes really good with strawberries & vanilla yogurt.

I like vanilla over plain Greek yogurt if I'm doing a parfait, because it tastes more like a dessert than something healthy

 

[Muse]

When I buy strawberries I make jam, just adding sugar and cooking and canning. But I'm not partial to strawberry jam anymore. I prefer my homemade plum jam, a close second being apricot/pineapple, which I also make from scratch. I like those in my PNJ sandwiches along with fresh slices of perfectly ripe (my definition!) banana. FTW!

I seldom give a second look at strawberries anymore. I can take 'em or leave 'em. Well, these are CA strawberries, maybe that's why.

 

[Muse]

That is an insane price for strawberries.

Also, organic is a joke (at least in the US). There's a laundry list of chemicals you can put on strawberries and still call them USDA organic.
I was shocked to find out the tomatoes I grow are technically organic, even though I spray them with non-organic chemicals for blight, insects, and calcium.

I don't spray my tomatoes with anything and they seldom really suffer from anything. Maybe some fungal stuff, but they do OK anyway. I sprayed my kabocha squash patch a couple of times already this year with a baking soda solution, hardly anything harmful. If I don't spray, the plants develop terrible fungal growth that pretty much kills them by sometime in August. Since I had a little solution left, I sprayed the tomatoes a bit. Maybe it will protect them from fungus.

One reason, I suppose, that I shy away from the strawberries I see in the stores is the pesticides they use on them. The battle has been going on for years and years, I've encountered a lot of stories about field workers getting sick. I just figure I can't trust what I encounter in the store, and what you say indicates that my feelings are justified. I've tried growing strawberries but the slugs/snails really like them... I figure it's not worth the trouble.

I generally avoid grapes, too. An organic grape might be OK, but I don't bother. I do eat organic raisins, however.