Strawberry Feels

The $5.2 Billion Dollar Berry

Southern California’s recent drenching has generated a lot of news, most focused on the number of mudslides, spectacular water rescues, trees downed and power out. But I was immediately sad thinking about the damage the rains are doing to the $5.2 billion strawberry crop and to the 55,000 people who work in the fields.

In 2023, heavy rains in California pushed up the price of strawberries. Strong winds can drive rain into the fruit and damage it or split the stems. Or the berries can simply drown. After the rain ends, mold and fungal infections can follow.

Strawberries are red gold. They generate more revenue per acre than any other crop in California—a total of $5.2 billion annually. Berry sales account for $3.1 billion, while businesses such as packaging and shipping create another $2.1 billion. All of that comes from 300 strawberry farms.

California produces approximately 90% of the strawberries in the U.S. Wherever you are in the country, the label you’ve seen on your berries is probably Driscoll’s. According to a 2017 New Yorker article by Dana Goodyear, “Driscoll’s, a fourth-generation family business, says that it controls roughly a third of the six-billion-dollar U.S. berry market, including sixty per cent of organic strawberries, forty-six per cent of blackberries, fourteen per cent of blueberries, and just about every raspberry you don’t pick yourself.”

One of the major year-round strawberry growing regions is Oxnard, south of Santa Barbara and north of Los Angeles. The sea-level fields stretch from the base of the Santa Monica mountains to the Pacific Ocean. You can almost reach out and touch them when you’re driving on the Pacific Coast Highway. The first time I saw them, I finally understood the Beatles’ song.

According to Green America, however, the lives of the workers are very different from the pretty pictures in the video. 100 to 130 boxes of berries are what the workers in the fields are supposed to pick each day, and for not much money.

Every year, Oxnard hosts the California Strawberry Festival. In 2024, it will be May 18 and 19. So far, the non-profit festival has raised $4.5 million for local charities. There’s a build-your-own strawberry shortcake pavilion, and 50 food booths with treats like:

•           Strawberry Nachos

•           Strawberry Pizza

•           Strawberry Chimichangas

•           Deep-fried Strawberries

•           Strawberry Tamales

And strawberry popcorn that you can wash down with your strawberry margarita or strawberry beer.

Here is an easy recipe that works for me.

Strawberry Almond Smoothie (MTO)

This recipe is endlessly customizable, so it can easily be Made To Order. The raw oats and almonds disappear in the blending and just make it creamy while providing fiber and protein. And – there are NO ADDED SUGARS.

Frozen Strawberries          1 scant cup / 100g / 3.5 oz

Milk                                   3/4 cup, more if necessary

Raw Oats                          1 Tablespoon / 8g / .3 oz

Almonds                            1 Tablespoon / 14g / .5 oz

Anise Seed, powdered       1/8 teaspoon

Almond Extract                  1/8 teaspoon

Put everything in a blender. Blend for about 20 seconds, until it is smooth and thick.

If you want something you can scoop like ice cream, use less milk.

You’re asking if it’s OK to eat raw oats. According to Healthline and to Pepsico, the owner of Quaker Oats, that’s a yes.

MTO Options:

Fruit:  Anything frozen. Mangos, blueberries, bananas, peaches, mixed berries.

Milk:   Any, from fat-free to full fat. Non-dairy milks, coconut – but they might boost the sugar. If you add alcohol, use less milk.

Oats:  The 5-minute kind, not instant – that will go to mush.

Almonds:  Any nuts you want.

Anise: Substitute cinnamon, pie spice, etc. Note: cinnamon is bitter and might need sugar.

Almond Extract: Vanilla or other extracts.

Add-ons:

Alcohol: Amaretto is a great addition to this. If you use alcohol, use less milk.

Sugar: Not necessary, but maple sugar or syrup, brown sugar, etc., can be added.

Examples:

Bananas Foster: Bananas, Brown Sugar, Pecans, Oats, Cinnamon, Dark Rum

Mango: Mango, Coconut Milk, Macadamias, Oats, White Rum

Maple Walnut: Blueberries, Maple syrup or sugar, Walnuts, Oats, Cinnamon

Mangia!