Strawberries

Fill your food business's recipes with the best quality strawberries from top strawberry growers
By Niki Hampton, Freelance Journalist Self Employed Strawberries are one of the most consumed and utilized fruits, either served fresh or in any number of recipes. A super sweet berry, they are considered a staple of the pastry and dessert world. For your restaurant or bakery shop to be successful, you need to include strawberries in many ways on your menu.

Growing strawberries is relatively easy. Adding a few strawberry bushes to your greenhouse or garden will give you the freshest berries possible for your recipes. If you don't have the room or green thumb to grow your own, order directly from strawberry producers, strawberry companies and other distributor of strawberries. When looking for the best strawberry distributors, you should:

1. Peruse your recipes to determine the volume and variety of strawberries you will need for the dishes on your menu.

2. Find a reputable strawberry farm or distributor in your area for the freshest strawberries at the best price.

3. Purchase strawberries in bulk or wholesale to save money and help clear inventory from strawberry farmers.

Pick the strawberry varieties you use most in your kitchen

There are many varieties of strawberries offering different levels of sweetness and different sizes. The variety of strawberry you choose to use in your dish should depend on the intensity of the sweetness you want in the dish.
Try:  The National Gardening Association offers an extensive information on strawberry plant varieties and their characteristics to help you choose the best strawberry varieties for the dishes on your menu. They also offer information on how to grow, harvest and care for the strawberry plants and seeds. The Oregon Strawberry Commission hosts a page on their site with a listing of strawberry varieties which includes pictures and detailed information about each variety.

Find reputable strawberry plant growers offering strawberry plants for sale

The best place to find the highest quality strawberries is at a local farmer's market or strawberry grower in your area. Another option, especially if you want more control over the quality, size and flavors of the strawberries, is to grow them yourself. This can be done by planting strawberry seeds or plants in Spring and tenderly caring for them until Summer.
Try:  Aarons Creek Farms, Inc. offers strawberry plugs in large quantities to save you money and give you the chance to grow your own strawberries. They are located in Virginia and orders can be picked up or shipped. Nourse Farms has a large variety of strawberry plants for creating your own strawberry garden. They also offer plants for blueberries, blackberries, elderberries and many other berry varieties for one-stop shopping.

Purchase wholesale strawberries to save money

To save money on strawberries, purchase them wholesale. This is especially good if you need large quantities of strawberries, need an assortment of varieties, or want to split the cost between two restaurants. Many wholesalers will offer you loyalty or advance ordering discounts also.
Try:  Giammanco & Sons Produce has been around since 1905 and offers a huge variety of produce including strawberries. With one stop shopping, high quality strawberries and shipping to anywhere in the country, this is one of the best produce distributors in the US. Patterson Farm Inc. has wholesale strawberries available in three different bulk sizes--by the gallon, eight quart flats and 12 one-pint flats.

• For added convenience, some farms offer hulling and slicing services to make the fresh strawberries ready to use. This will cost extra but may be less for you in the savings of time and labor costs.