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Strawberry Info

Our Strawberry Operation

Our strawberry season starts in March and usually last until the end of May (depends on the weather!) We have 2 locations: Enigma and Valdosta. We offer both U-Pick and We-pick berries (when available). We plant new strawberry plants each season, planting is done in Oct. The plants bloom in Feb, and 1 month after you see a bloom, you will see a red, ripe strawberry ready to be picked! Depending on the weather, we usually open mid-March. One important fact that most people don't know is: Strawberries Do NOT ripen after being picked! So you can be sure that when you buy our already-picked berries, we only pick ripe berries! Also, the hotter the weather and the darker the berry, the sweeter the fruit! So while April is our peak season, both quantity and visitor wise, May is when the berries are the sweetest!! We host field trips at both picking locations and we love to educate others about farming and strawberries! There are times when we have an abundance of strawberries at both locations, and so several years ago, we started a delivery program in Valdosta, Tifton, & Nashville. Business & Schools call us and place orders and we deliver to them! We love meeting new people as well as visiting with our oldest and dearest customers so please come out and visit with us!

Strawberry Health

We are very excited about the research being done on strawberries. We have compiled some of the health facts here in this section in order to educate you on how healthy your favorite fruit is! If your kids love strawberries, be sure to keep some in the fridge at all times, you will see why after reading the health facts!

Berries: source of lycopene and ellagic acid, phytochemicals that prevent the cell damage that may lead to cancer.

Ellagic Acid in Strawberries is a powerful anticarcinogen. One of the phenolic acids called ellagic acid found in strawberries reduces the genetic damage caused by carcinogens like tobacco smoke and air pollution. It does this by affecting the carcinogen and also possibly by directly protecting the cells' genetic materials. (Dr. Steve Nugent, Dead Doctors-The Rest of the Story)

Strawberries for headaches? Strawberries contain natural salicylates, an ingredient that's found in aspirin.

Berries have recently been pinpointed as a leading source of compounds thought to produce health benefits for women, due to their high concentrations of phytoestrogens. Phytoestrogens, literally "plant estrogens", have been of interest to the scientific community b/c of their possible roll in prevention of both breast and cervical cancer. Studies now indicate that berries may contain some of the highest levels of phytoestrogens. These compounds act as a natural form of estrogen. During studies at the Univeristy of Helsinki in Finland, scientists measured eight different berries for their phytoestrogen level, and concluded that blackberries had the highest level of phytoestrogens followed by strawberries. (Northland Berry News Fall 2001)

Tests indicate that ellagic acid is specifically effective on colon, cervical, breast, and pancreatic cancer cells. Studies on ellagic acid indicate it may prevent cancer growth and may halt the development of pre-invasive cancerous growths.

Phytochemicals are at their peak when berries are fully ripe.

STRAWBERRY INFO WEBSITES

California Strawberry Commission

The World's Healthiest Foods

Strawberry Healthy Benefits

LSU Ag Center