Berry Important News
The theme of today's newsletter: strawberries!
Market ordering closes on Monday. Don’t forget to place your order!
Herbs and vegetables galore and so much more! I don’t know about you, but I’m insanely excited about these diverse market offerings that are expanding more and more each week. Explore this week’s offerings and place your order. We’ll see you on Tuesday!
I bit into a strawberry today. It was red, beautiful, sweet, soft-but-not-too-soft, and just ripe. I’ve been eating strawberries all semester. They’re out of season, I know, completely contrary to what I told you about last week, but I can’t resist. I’ve been settling for the sour colorless berries, just to have them around, appreciating the daily dose of antioxidants (if they’re even there?), but today was different.
I bit into the berry and smiled. Savoring the first bite of the first true Spring strawberry, sweetness spread throughout my mouth.
A girl in my writing class brought strawberry cake for a project alongside a beautiful story integrating strawberry-red-stained-hands from her summers at the coast and the recipe for her delicious, light, and fluffy strawberry cake. My friend wrote about strawberry ice cream: its bright pink nostalgia, sweet taste, and the way it melts in your mouth, all the while filling you with joy.
Strawberry season has arrived. Rejoice, rejoice!
Strawberry Varieties
Did you know that there are over 600 varieties of strawberries?! Strawberries are a member of the rose family. Despite their misleading name, strawberries are not actually berries. Rather, they’re an “accessory aggregate” fruit, meaning that each of the seeds on the outside of the strawberry are actually an ovary containing seeds.
There are three categories of strawberries: everbearing strawberries that produce twice per season in mid spring and late summer/early fall, June-bearing strawberries (most common in the United States), and day-neutral strawberries that are more adapted to colder temperatures and shade, but less flavorful. Tradeoffs.
This week, you can find strawberries of the Sweet Charlie and Chandler variety from Bountiful Harvest.
Sweet Charlie: Sweet Charlie are a June-bearing variety that produce a large, sweet berry. Southern growers favor them because they can withstand heat well.
Chandler: Chandler are also a June-bearing variety that produces a large, firm, and delicious berry. They produce a high yield without compromising their excellent flavor.
Learn more about other strawberry varieties here!
Neopestalotiopsis Leaf Spot and Fruit Rot
Unfortunately, strawberry production in the southeast has been limited due to Neopestalotiopsis leaf spot and fruit rot disease. Neopestalotiopsis has caused severe outbreaks in berry plants causing intense yield reductions. The disease started in Florida and has now spread almost everywhere in the southeast.
The aggressive pathogen is morphologically similar to the non-aggressive pathogen, which makes it tricky to differentiate the species. Management strategies to address Neopestalotiopsis include: infected plant removal, strong sanitation practices, the use of fungicides, and close monitoring of the plants.
Learn more about Neopestalotiopsis here through University of Georgia’s study on Neopestalotiopsis Leaf Spot and Fruit Rot Disease.
An Update on HB 130
A few weeks ago, we wrote about Tennessee’s Cottage Food Laws in our newsletter “Tennessee Food Freedoms Act of 2022 Governs Our Cottage Food Laws.” Cottage Food Laws enable producers to sell homemade foods within state lines without regulatory oversight. However, standard food safety requirements still apply.
State Representative Michele Reneau sponsored HB 130, colloquially the “chicken pot pie bill,” to include poultry and dairy products in the sale of homemade goods. Reneau says, "By passing this bill, we'll give consumers more opportunities to purchase local food, and we'll give more small businesses the opportunity to thrive or start in their home kitchen to test the idea."
The bill passed unanimously in the state House and Senate. Read the full article here.
“La Fresa” by Gabriela Mistral
La fresa desperdigada en el tendal de las hojas, huele antes de cogida; antes de vista se sonroja... La fresa, sin ave picada, que el rocío del cielo moja. No magulles a la tierna, no aprietes a la olorosa. Por el amor de ella abájate, huélela y dale la boca.
“Wild Strawberries” by Gabriela Mistral and translated by Maria Giachetti
The wild strawberry, set apart in a leafy tent, gives off fragrance before she is picked. Before she is seen, she blushes... Untouched by birds, it is heaven's dew that moistens the wild strawberry. Do not bruise the earth; do not squeeze the sweet one. For her love, lower yourself, inhale her, and give her your mouth.
On that note, check out all of our awesome strawberry options!
