Strawberries Organic – 1 Pint

Why buy organic strawberries?

Strawberries top the EWG’s “dirty dozen list”, why? “Part of the reason that strawberries topped this year’s Dirty Dozen is that almost all 176 samples of strawberries that were measured had detectable pesticide levels, and about 40% of them had residues of 10 or more pesticides. There was even a strawberry sample with 17 different pesticide residues!” sited from Fitness Reloaded, 2016 https://fitnessreloaded.com/organic-strawberries-vs-conventional-strawberries/. This article goes on to say that this is not a big deal because the EPA says all of those pesticide levels are within acceptable ranges. “Overall pesticide chemical residues found on the foods tested are at levels below the tolerances established by the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) and do not pose a safety concern”. I’m not sure about you, but I prefer to go with my instinct and say I’m not interested in any level of pesticide residue in my food!

That’s what you are paying for. Organic, local strawberries have several advantages over conventional store-bought strawberries. We harvest our strawberries ripe. Shipped strawberries are harvested early so they can be shipped, leaving them less sweet than they would be if they ripened on the vine. We do not use pesticides, fungicides, or fumigants. So relax and enjoy them knowing you are not eating things that were never meant to be eaten.

That said, strawberries reach peak sweetness around mid-season. If you think they are sweet now, wait; they will get sweeter and sweeter! They also start slowly, so there may not be a lot of pints available this week, but they will continue to produce heavier and heavier until mid-season, and then they will begin to drop off.