Code Red

Adriana, a seller at D’Agostina’s produce stand, says she believes
strawberry season, while still early, is going well so far. “We’ve
gotten a lot of strawberries and they’re not as expensive as they have
been in the past,” she explained as she bagged a $3 carton of her
vendor’s ruby-colored fruit for a shopper.

Laurie Daratt, of Daratt Farms in Cato, said the difference she
noticed in her farm’s strawberry season this year is its timing. “It’s
early, but good so far,” she notes. 

Amber Mosher, standing next to Daratt behind cartons of cucumbers
and nectarines, attributed the change to this spring’s unseasonable
weather. “The hot weather is what caused it to be early,” she remarks.

The sandals-and-shorts weather we experienced in April—a rare gift
presented to pale-legged Central New Yorkers in the form of 86-degree
weather—coaxed berry season to begin early. According to Laura
McDermott, extension educator for the Capital District Vegetable and
Small Fruit program, the temperature drop that tailgated the sun’s
brief appearance endangered the growing fruit.

“The one real challenge {for farmers} is that it pushed the season
two, almost three, weeks early,” says McDermott, referring to April’s
unseasonably warm weather. The lack of rain in April and the freezing
temperatures of Mother’s Day weekend affected strawberries’ sizes,
rendering them smaller than usual, she adds. “We had a lot of sun in
April but not enough in May when they really needed it.” 

As farmers markets open and vendors take to their stands, Central
New Yorkers’ eyes will widen as the deep-red berry appears on fruit and
vegetable stands. What they won’t see is the struggle local farmers
worked through to get the succulent fruit onto shelves.

While the weather made the young berries susceptible to disease,
farmers got lucky. “Amazingly, we’ve had very little detritus,”
McDermott observes. “We’ve also had very little insect damage.” She
also speculates that late-blooming strawberries—like Ovation and Valley
Sunset—are faring better than early bloomers did.

Louise Hafner, co-owner of Paul Hafner Farms at 1481 W. Genesee St.,
Baldwinsville, says the erratic weather led to an early beginning to
her farm’s berry season. Usually, Hafner’s strawberries aren’t ripe
enough to be picked until mid-June. Although she speculates that the
frost killed off the first few strawberries, the berries, although
small, are ready to be picked and enjoyed.

“It all depends on the weather,” Hafner says. “If the sun keeps shining, they’re expected to get bigger.”

No matter the size, each strawberry—freckled with about 200 seeds
and born with a hat of green leaves—offers more than flavor. For
starters, the berry is juiced with nutrition. According to the U.S.
Department of Agriculture, one cup of strawberries contains about 85
milligrams of vitamin C, which serves as an antioxidant and lessens the
chances of bleeding gums, easily bruised skin and tender joints. One
cup boasts 23 grams of calcium, 46 calories and about 7 grams of sugar.

Stunned, small, premature or just right, strawberries arrived in
time to flavor another summer. Here are a few recipes to get your berry
on.

Try some delicious strawberry recipes.