Strawberries - Ann Arbor

Locally grown strawberries are available in season (late May, June, early July) in the Ann Arbor area.

Strawberries grown elsewhere are available throughout the year (January, February, April, May, June, July, August, September, October, November, December) at the produce sections of local supermarkets and produce stations, through the miracle of 21st-century transportation technology and a brilliant 18th-century economic idea called comparative advantage. While this editor would not argue that imported strawberries are as good, as healthy, or as ecologically beneficial as local strawberries, imported strawberries can be quite tasty. Driscoll's and Well-Pict are usually decent. Meijer's fruit is usually better and fresher than Krogers, and that includes out of season strawberries.

Strawberry picking

U-Pick strawberries are available at the following locations. Call ahead for hours, crop details, and pricing.

Rowe's Produce Farm on Martz Road near Rawsonville Road in Ypsilanti has U-Pick berries. The 2010 season opens Wednesday, June 2; the U-Pick price is $1.49 per pound.

DeGroot's Strawberries in Gregory (about 30 miles from Ann Arbor) has U-Pick berries.

Gibb's Berry Farm in Eaton Rapids (about 60 miles from Ann Arbor) has U-Pick berries.

Long's Family Orchard, Farm, and Cider Mill in Commerce Township (about 40 miles from Ann Arbor) is open for the season and has U-pick strawberries.

Whittaker's Berry Farm in Ida, about 45 minutes from Ann Arbor, has U-Pick berries. The 2010 season opens Wednesday, June 2; the U-Pick price is $1.25 per pound, and pre-picked are $3.25 / quart.

U-Pick directories

Pick Your Own Fruit in Southeastern Michigan directory - they also have U-Pick lists for the rest of the world.

Michigan Farm Market, U-Pick and Ag Tourism Directory from the Michigan Department of Agriculture.

Local strawberry farms

These farms and growers have strawberries in season and sell them at local stores and markets.

Farm markets with local berries

Strawberry recipes

Strawberry jam

My mom uses the recipe on the Sure-Jell box. http://www.recipezaar.com/58523

"Anyway, you can buy new jars which will have the screw down lids and the sealing lids. It is helpful to have a large mouthed funnel for transferring the jam. You will also need a large pan and wooden spoon for stirring the mixture and keeping it from boiling over! I usually add about a tsp (teaspoon) of oil or butter...to keep down the foam. When I first made jam, I was instructed to skim off the foam...and you kids always ate it up without complaint."

Strawberry Rhubarb Pie

Make sure you cut the leaves off the rhubarb; they contain oxalic acid (bleah).

Strawberries with balsamic vinegar

Naturally Zingerman's can sell you the aged expensive vintage kind of balsamic vinegar for your strawberries. Adding brown sugar to cheap balsamic (or sherry) vinegar is also fairly tasty.

Strawberry Bruschetta

Strawberries, cream cheese, honey and strawberry jam on bruschetta. A recipe from Recipezaar gives all the measurements, but I bet you can figure it out on your own with enough tries.

Strawberry Shortcake

Mmmm.

For an extra special treat make whipped cream from Calder Dairy.

Frozen Strawberries

Wash, hull, and freeze whole on cookie sheets. Seal in freezer bags and hide them in the back of the freezer behind the beans so that there will be a few when February rolls around. If you freeze on parchment paper, you can use the paper as funnel; if you freeze on wax paper, be prepared to scrape wax paper off some of the berries.

Strawberry Ice Cream

Mmmm.

Canning supplies

Downtown Home and Garden has a good selection of canning supplies (jars, lids, pots, tongs etc) for your strawberry jam making project. You'll also find these at Meijer and WalMart.