“U-pick”, I pick, we all pick strawberries!

It’s true – nothing beats a fresh strawberry straight from the patch.  If you grew up on a farm, you most likely remember heading out to the garden, dusting off the dirt and devouring a few right then and there, before mom or dad caught you, of course!

If you aren’t growing your own strawberries this year, you should consider taking your family to participate in a “U-pick” at a local farm.  Here are a few tips for proper “U-pick” etiquette:

• Check in with a staff person to receive instructions and a bucket for picking
• Stay in the designated areas, fields, or rows
• Do not walk on or straddle the black plastic raised beds
• Supervise your children at all times
• Do not consume strawberries in the field
• Dress in comfortable clothes and closed toed shoes
• Do not bring pets
• Do not litter in the fields or other farm property

Here are a few suggestions for finding the best strawberries:

• Pick only fully red strawberries – white or green tips are not fully ripe and do not continue to ripen after being picked
• Size is not important – small berries are just as tasty, if not more than large ones
• Look deep in the center of plants for hidden strawberries
• Walk to the far end of the patch where fewer pickers venture for prime picking
• Don’t overfill your container – this crushes the berries at the bottom and causes some to fall onto the ground

“U-pick” farms can be a great source of family fun and delicious local produce. Visit your Department of Agriculture website to find “U-pick” farms in your area.  Be sure to comment and let us know where you are headed!

Virginia pushes benefits of Community Supported Agriculture

Now is the key time to enroll in a subscription for Community Supported Agriculture, which the Virginia Department of Agriculture encourages consumers to do, according to a press release.

"The CSA has many advantages," said Matthew J. Lohr, commissioner of the Virginia Department of Agriculture and Consumer Services. "Members know where all the food comes from, how it was grown, who harvested it and when. They learn to eat seasonally, enjoying foods that arrive according to nature's timetable. Everything the CSA provides is field-fresh, flavorful and nutritious because deliveries usually take place weekly and the travel time and distance from farm to fork are kept to a minimum."

January is the perfect time to enroll as it provides farmers advanced notice in preparation for ordering, according to Lohr.

Both Virginia and the U.S. have seen CSAs gaining in popularity. Virginia's representation amounts to 86 subscriptions and that figure is projected to grow this winter.

Agriculture is essential to Virginia, as the state's Department of Agriculture and Consumer Services reports that it accounts for a $55 billion impact on the state's economy each year.