Strawberries Are A big Crop in California

From the end of September through the end of October, strawberries are planted and harvesting occurs from mid- December through mid-July in Ventura County,  which produces more than 27 percent of the state’s strawberries. The peak harvesting season in California runs from April through June, when up to 10 million pint baskets of strawberries are shipped daily.

The largest producing state, California harvests 83% of the strawberries grown in the U.S. on approximately 24,500 acres. And with about 5,000 commercial acres, Florida is the second largest producing state. Ideal temperature for strawberry plants should not exceed higher than 78 degrees or lower than 55 degrees.

Every strawberry plant is hand-picked approximately every three days. This is the time in which it takes for strawberries to complete their cycle of turning from green to white to red. There is no storage of fresh strawberries. After picking, they are rushed to coolers where huge fans extract the field heat. Then they are delivered to supermarkets across the country via refrigerated trucks.

Strawberries are the largest available fresh fruit source for vitamin C. Frozen strawberries are America’s largest available frozen fruit source of vitamin C. Versatile and nutritious strawberries are easy to include in school meals and snacks. Low in calories and sugar, strawberries are packed with vitamin C and antioxidants, helping to boost immunity and brain health.