Picking Season: Mid June - July

Pick & Pack:
The best containers to use for picking are a shallow box, basket or bowl that will protect the fruit. Bags are not recommended as the fruit tends to bruise. Baskets are available for sale in the Brown's Berry Patch Marketplace.

Have your container weighed before you begin picking fruit at the Marketplace Weigh Station. (Not necessary if you use a BBP Basket.)

Picking Tips:
- Pick early in the morning or late in the day when the berries are cooler.
- Choose only the reddest, ripest berries as they have the best flavor. Strawberries do NOT continue to ripen off the vine.
- Be sure to look throughout the plant, especially under the leaves as strawberries love to hide.
- Pinch the berry off to include the stem as they will stay fresher longer and keep your fingers from turning red.

Where to Pick:
- Follow our signs to the fields that are ripe for picking.
- For best picking, select a row marked with a flag.

Nutritional Value:
- Strawberries are very high in Vitamin C, Potassium and Antioxidants as well as low in fat.
- 1 cup of strawberries is a dieter's delight with only 55 calories.
- Vitamin C in 1 cup of strawberries is equivalent to the       Vitamin C in an orange.

Grandma Brown's Strawberry Jam:
According to Grandma Brown, you can cook jam like she does OR make Freezer Jam in 30 minutes! They both work well for strawberries. The fruit pectin packages contain a very thorough set of instructions for all types and varieties of jams & jellies.

- at least 3-6 pints or pounds of ripe strawberries
- lemon juice
- sugar
- fruit pectin (i.e. Sure-Jell, Certo or Ball)
- 8 jars or freezer containers per batch depending on the recipe

Pick fruit fully ripe and free from blemishes. Wash just before using. Underripe fruit can produce jam too stiff and the fruit may float. Overripe fruit can prevent gelling altogether.

Mrs. Brown's Strawberry Bread: