The outskirts of our city is surrounded by fields that farmers are tilling. The crops vary each year... like pumpkins now, wheat the next year, corn and some strawberries and so on. Some of these areas are turned into strawberry and flower fields and pickings are offered to the locals in Summer. Over the weekend, families and its members would come and they do it together to pick the berries. Last year, despite the pandemic, a lot came with their masks. The Lockdown was implemented but the mass came to enjoy the picking adventure with the children.
Yesterday, I went out of the house just to get on time for a doctor´s appointment, but the route I chose had no traffic. I passed by this strawberry field and decided I do some picking to kill the time. I had 1 hour free time and the doctor´s clinic is not that far away from this field. And so I went and paid 10 Euros entrance fee plus 2 Euros for the basket that included 2 kilos of the harvested berries. If exceeding the 2 kilos I had to pay more.
I have had one strawberry plant in a container and over the years , it spread so easily and multiplied in other pots nearby, You can see the images at the end of this post.
The plants in the field grew so high and one has to bend because the berries are hidden beneath them, protected by the straw.
Price comparison - freshly picked Strawberries vs. Store bought ones...
The berries are pretty much red at this moment.. and although they were not huge fruits, they tasted good and were sweet. I finished the basket with 2 1/2 kilos and I had to pay 2.5 Euros more... All in all, I spent 14.50 Euros . If I would buy in Supermarkets, I would pay lesser and that is a total of 10 Euros for 2.5 Kilos including the wooden box.. The supermarkets have various suppliers mostly the fruits come from the plastic tents in Almeria, Spain. The fruits are bigger than the ones I harvested. But the intentions of the local here is to support the local farmers. Families who come and harvest are doing the picking for their children to experience the fun and the adventure.
Storing The Berries.....
The berries were cleaned, sepals removed and washed. Then I patted them dry then placed in a tray for freezing. Once frozen, I gathered them in freezer bags and keep in the freezer until I need them. I mostly use the berries for baking and for making smoothies. Below, I simply enjoyed an orange juice with the berries and added sliced lemon and ice cubes.
My Past Container Strawberries...
The fruit of my container strawberries had been very sweet.. together with the raspberries , also in containers , both are the perfect combination. Nowadays, I did not have any strawberry plant, instead I have more lettuce and other veggies. Soon I´ll get one and let them multiply now that it´s Summer. I am sure they will easily grow because of the heat and I will be dreaming to harvest next season.
All images are mine unless otherwise stated.
@gremayo