Strawberry season! A detour to the Carlsbad strawberry fields brought a rush of memories from a childhood filled with the decidedly California fruit which thrives along the coast. Rows upon rows of the plants with dark green shiny leaves and beautiful white blossoms fill crop land from San Diego north to Monterey Bay.
From the blossoms, come a pale green version of the deep red goodness to come. California is where most of the US strawberries come from! According to the California Strawberry Commission: "90% of the strawberries grown in the U.S. originate in California, and generations of dedicated farmers continue to produce their crops in healthy, sustainable ways. In fact, more organic strawberries are grown in California than anywhere in the world."
They are the perfect finger food. Everyone has their own favorite way to eat strawberries. You get a strategy of attack going, like with Oreos or Peanut Butter Cups.
- You can grab them by the stem and take a bite.
- Or cut off the stem and slice them for toppings.
- If you top the sliced berries with a little granulated sugar and pop them into the fridge, you've got an extra sugary, syrupy treat.
- Our favorite MESSY way to eat them as kids was to dip the raw fruit into powdered sugar. (But you have to be careful not to breathe in while you're taking a bite! It's a choke-fest if you accidentally inhale the sugar.)
Back as a kid, I also remember Mom buying those big "Tub O' Strawberry Glaze" from the produce section to make a cold strawberry pie. Just cut off the stems/leaves and leave the strawberries whole. Mix with the glaze and prettily place them upside down with the pointed end facing up and the newly flat end resting in an already baked pie shell. I hated this version because I had to wait much longer to eat them since they had to sit in the fridge to set.
Nope. The best way is fresh from the fields. Straight from the farmers. Or should I say, straight from the farming families like at the Carlsbad Strawberry Company. You buy your half flat (3 baskets) or full flat (6 baskets), and then nothing's stopping you from eating at least one (or two or three) in the gravelly parking lot with a view of the fields. They are warm, full of sunshine and juicy enough to stain your shirt and drip on the ground.
Hungry yet? Here's some other places to get strawberries (hopefully near you) . . .
Farms:
- Carlsbad Strawberry Company (U-Pick starting on Cannon Road usually in mid-April this year)
- Tanaka Farms in Irvine (has a rather costly tour, but you can buy right from the stand w/o the tour)
- Manassero Farms Stands all over Orange County with the Irvine location being their "flagship" store (also in Brea & Tustin)
Strawberry Festivals:
- Garden Grove Strawberry Festival (Memorial Day Weekend, May 22nd-25th, 2026)
- California Strawberry Festival at Ventura County Fairgrounds (May 16th & 17th, 2026)
- Watsonville Strawberry Festival (usually takes place the 1st weekend in August)
Farmer's Markets:
- Don't forget to find strawberry vendors/farms at your local Certified Farmers' Markets in Orange County
California Strawberry Commission
- Visit the California Strawberry Commission site for tons of recipes and fan info about strawberries
- You can even follow @CAStrawberries on Instagram
*This is NOT a sponsored post.
