Strawberries are a nutritious addition to any plate, and a great way to satisfy your sweet tooth in a healthy way! Strawberry production is small scale and scattered across Texas, with production in the Houston area, the Hill Country, the south plains around Lubbock, and the area south of San Antonio around Poteet. Poteet claims the title of strawberry capital of Texas. Strawberries are a short season crop in Texas but thrive in California and Florida, the top two strawberry producing states in the nation.
Picking fresh strawberries is ideal in peak season (March – June), when strawberries are at their most flavorful and aromatic. When shopping for strawberries, look for ones that are bright red, aromatic, and have an intact green cap. Avoid strawberries that are damaged or soft, moldy, or strawberries that have large white or green areas.
Be sure to not wash your strawberries when you bring them home from the store. Instead, wash your strawberries just before eating them to ensure your berries don’t spoil or get moldy. Store strawberries in the refrigerator separate from any raw poultry, beef or seafood.
Strawberries can be enjoyed fresh, juiced, frozen, or made into an array of products from jams and syrups to body care products and soap. Strawberries are easy to incorporate into your meals! Because they are high in Vitamin C, potassium and folate while being low in calories, strawberries can elevate the flavors and nutritional value of any meal or snack.
AgriLife Extension’s Dinner Tonight has great and inventive recipes using strawberries, including Strawberry Cucumber Salad, Strawberry Oatmeal Cookie Balls and Strawberry Spinach Salad with Feta. For more creative and delicious strawberry recipes, visit dinnertonight.tamu.edu/.
