BY JANE BLOODWORTH ROWE
PUNGO — Strawberry season is in full swing now, and local growers are offering a variety of berries for snacking, eating, and jam making, but the big three, including Ruby Junes, Chandlers, and Sweet Charlies, remain the most popular with local growers and consumers.
Virginia Beach Extension Agent and strawberry grower Roy Flanagan and grower Bruce Henley said that many pick-your-own customers prefer the Ruby June because its easier and quicker to pick. That’s because the small canopy of leaves makes the berries appear more prominent, and it’s easier and quicker for customers to see them.
“People don’t have to part the leaves to see where the best berries are,” Henley, owner of Flip Flop Farmer, said.
“People flock to the Ruby Junes,” said Flanagan, owner of Flanagan Farm. While some of his regular customers prefer the Chandlers, the Ruby June has become so popular that he sometimes has to temporarily close that field because the ripe berries have been picked and the green ones need a few days to ripen. [Ed. – Flanagan is kin to John Doucette, editor of The Independent News.]
“I don’t even remember ever tasting a berry that wasn’t grown on plastic,” said Flanagan, who added that a Henrico County strawberry grower is the only commercial grower in Virginia who doesn’t use plastic.
Most locally grown varieties are seasonal strawberries, called June Bearing, and they stop producing when the days become extremely long or when the weather turns consistently hot.
Day neutral or everbearing berries are less finicky and will sometimes bear in the fall, but local farmers cater to the pick-your-own spring market.
Of the most popular varieties, the Sweet Charlie, which was released for the market in 1992 at the University of Florida, is the earliest to ripen. It favors cool weather and ripens during April and early or mid-May, but as the weather warms it quits bearing.
The Chandler, which was released in 1983 at the University of California, prefers the warmer May and early June weather, and should bear into June barring a premature heat wave.
“They don’t work well for the pick-your-own market because they must be completely ripe,” Henley said. When it’s fully ripened, it’s a very dark red and extremely sweet, but If it’s even a little under-ripened, it’s very sour. “Other berries are fine if there’s a little green tip at the end, but Camarosas will be really tart if you pick them like that. “
The Merced, which was also released in 2014 at the University of California, is also grown here, although it’s not as common locally as other varieties. Flanagan said that he expects farmers will continue to introduce new varieties as they are released.
Choosing the best berry is a matter of personal taste, Flanagan and Henley said.
Henley personally prefers Sweet Charlies “and toward the end of the season I like the Camarosa.”
Flanagan notes that, while the Ruby June is increasingly popular, many knowledgeable consumers also prefer the Chandler. Others, who aren’t regular pickers, don’t really seem to know or care what the variety is — they just want strawberries.
Jane Cullipher of Cullipher Farm Market also suggests that consumers consider what they want to do with the berry before choosing. While they’re all good for snacking, she prefers the Ruby June or the Merced for baking and jam-making.
“They’re a little meatier than the Chandlers,” Cullipher said, “and the Ruby June is really the go-to berry.”
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