It's a Great Year for Strawberries!

LAST year's berries at Fair Food Farmstand in Reading Terminal Market; we're counting the days til local berries arrive....

Doesn't everyone love strawberries?   This year’s harvest is especially sweet, because the berry crops are bigger than ever and arriving early.  Berry season usually starts in June, but due to the mild winter, we can expect to see fresh strawberries in May.  

As we always do when we have a produce question, we hoofed it to Reading Terminal Market and consulted with the experts.   When asked about this season's bumper crop, Jimmy Iovine of Iovine Brothers Produce told us, “This is a good year for berry lovers.  Customers should be able to get a lot of berries for reasonable prices.  The berries have been great all year, but they will be the juiciest very soon, better than we have seen them in a long while”. 

Consider the possibilities:  Chocolate dipped strawberries or Strawberry Fool.   Healthy choices can be tasty, too—fresh strawberries atop a yogurt parfait, or pureed in a smoothie.     Don't want to make your own?  Head to the Down Home Diner; their strawberry topped pancakes have a near cult following!

Berries are bursting with necessary vitamins and minerals, and this year’s bumper crops promise to be both delicious and affordable.    Next post:  my newly developed recipe for strawberry bread.  What's your favorite way to enjoy strawberries?  (Daquiris anyone?)