California strawberry farm visit
As a California Strawberries Ambassador I was recently invited to attend their 365 Days of California Strawberries Farm & Culinary Event in Southern California with a group of bloggers. I love strawberries, farms, and learning about food – plus the opportunity to get a little bit of sunshine is always a bonus when you live in the Pacific Northwest. The event included a visit to Terry Strawberry Farm in Oxnard to learn all about California strawberries and farming.
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We started out with a strawberry inspired dinner on Ventura Beach. The menu included strawberry basil mojitos, strawberry gazpacho, strawberry & goat cheese bruschetta, strawberry bbq chicken, and salmon with strawberry mango salsa. Dessert included strawberry shortcakes and chocolate covered strawberries.
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That evening there was an information session on the importance of hand washing for those who work on strawberry farms. The strawberries are picked when ripe -they barely ripen after being picked -, packaged and shipped off immediately. Because strawberries are delicate, they are not washed in between being picked and packaged/shipped – this makes it very crucial for workers to be trained about the importance of keeping their hands clean when picking the fruit.
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The following morning we visited Terry Farms for a tour of the strawberry farm. The tour was led by owner Edgar Terry and his son William. Here are some interesting California strawberry facts:
- California is the largest producer of strawberries; about 90% of strawberries in the US are grown in California.
- California’s soil, location and moderate climate make it perfect for strawberries to be grown year-round.
- Strawberries are a great source of fiber, folate and potassium. Just 8 strawberries, about 1 cup, have more vitamin C than an orange.
- California’s strawberry farmers use less than one percent of California’s cropland, but create nearly 10 percent of all California’s farm-related jobs.
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After the tour of the farm, and tasting several varieties of ripe strawberries, we enjoyed a delicious lunch. The meal was strawberry themed (obviously) and was prepared by Chef Jasmine Wolfe of The Lobos food truck. Lunch started with strawberries stuffed with a mix of farmers cheese and fresh herbs, then rolled in pecan bacon dust. Doesn’t bacon dust sound magical?
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Next was a tasty kale salad with strawberries, red grapes, spicy candied pecans and blue cheese with raspberry honey vinaigrette. This was followed by grilled chicken tacos with a strawberry, serrano, corn, onion and avocado salsa – and topped with anejo cheese. The next course was a peanut butter, strawberry jam & bacon kobe beef slider on brioche – served with waffle fries and strawberry ketchup. The last savory course, and my personal favorite, was a surf & turf of babyback ribs with strawberry bbq sauce and crabcakes with a strawberry honeydew salsa. For dessert we were served strawberry shortcakes in a jar and strawberry popsicles.
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I had a wonderful time, learned a lot of interesting facts about California strawberries, met some great people, and ate amazing food. I came home completely inspired and ready to prepare my own strawberry dishes. The first thing I made with strawberries as soon as I got back was this super easy strawberry cake.
*Disclosure: This event and post were sponsored by California Strawberries. All photos, opinions and ideas are 100% my own.
