Strawberry Fields

By: Dr. Phil Aaron

            My daughter, Sarah, is now a Yankee and a Democrat to boot.  She and her husband, Mike, her daughter, Emma, and son, Rafe, live in Connecticut.  When Blake and I visit we fly in to New York City then sometimes travel by train to their home.  When stopping in New York City we visit Central Park.  Or Favorite spot in Central Park is “Strawberry Fields,” a section of the park close to the elegant Dakato apartments where John Lennon lived and was assassinated. 

            Strawberry Fields Forever, of course, was the famous Beatle’s song of the 70’s. 

            This past week Blake and his two buddies, Jacob and Blake Cowan, had an opportunity to celebrate at their own Strawberry Fields.  They went strawberry picking. Ron and Shirley Helm have a beautiful strawberry patch near the Casey  County line up Hwy. 206.  In years past they have picked over a hundred (100) gallons of strawberries from these patches.  So armed with their buckets these three- ten, eleven, and twelve year olds attacked the patch and picked seven (7) gallons in a couple of hours. 

            Ron and Shirley have had strawberry patches over the past several years.  They pick them to sell, pick them for friends, Shirley freezes and cooks with these delicious berries.  But on the whole, the cultivation of strawberries is declining.  It is getting more expensive to grow strawberries.  Berry plants don’t bear fruit until their second year so the whole first year they are panted there are no berries.  According to Shirley, “We have had a mild winter which is good for the strawberries but strawberries are vulnerable to the weather and rot.” “It has rained so much there had been some damage to our crop,” says Ron.  Picking strawberries is hard work because you have to squat or kneel.  A gallon of picked strawberries in Louisville sells for $12.00, but in our area they are sold for $8.00 to $10.00 per gallon, less if you pick them yourself.  Squatting or kneeling was no problem for our three strawberry pickers in the Helms’ four (4) row, fifty (50) yard-long patch of strawberries.

            Strawberries are well suited for planting in a home garden.  They produce fruits very quickly and require relatively small space.  They have a very high level of Vitamin C content and are versatile as a dessert food.  Many people enjoy eating them freshly picked.  They are also excellent for jams, jellies, and pies, or chilled over cake or ice cream.  They also contain ellajic acid which is supposedly a cancer preventing compound.  Strawberries grow better if the soil is acidic and they require full exposure to the sun.  Plants are sensitive to excessive soil moisture, so for the past couple of weeks when it has rained almost every day, this has not been good for the strawberry crop.  Mulching is necessary for protection in the winter.

            Harvesting the strawberries usually begins the last of May, first weeks of June.  We are right now in the heat of strawberry season!  Berries are picked every day from the patches.  Most patch owners pick the strawberries themselves because it seems as though the public doesn’t have time to spend in the strawberry fields.  Most strawberries are sold by volume, for example by the gallon, instead of y the pound.  It is better to pick the berries before noon while they are still cool and their storage life can be extended by putting them in a cool refrigerator. 

            If you are interested in a very delicious strawberry pie, I have included my mother’s recipe which I give my four star rating.  The Beatles’ song says that strawberry fields are forever but they are not.  The strawberry fields are almost gone as are most of the Beatles and many of our friends and relatives.  Neither Strawberry Fields nor any of us are forever.

Jessie Aaron’s

Strawberry Pie

1-1/2 o 2 qt Strawberries

8” crust

3 tbsp. sugar

1-1/2 cups berry juice

1-cup sugar

3 tbsp. cornstarch

Make an 8-inch pie shell; add 3 tbsp. to the crust.  Bake pie shell and cool.

Crush half of the berries to make the juice.  Add sugar and cornstarch to the berry juice, put over low heat and bring to boil; boil exactly one minute.  Put remaining berries in the cooled pie shell and pour the sauce over them.

Serve with whipped cream or ice cream.