It’s Strawberry Season!
One of the best things about New Ross in the summer is that it’s time for our world famous Wexford strawberries! And there’s a bountiful new crops of strawberries ready to be picked.
Local stockists & suppliers:
Ronan’s Full & Plenty Farm Shop
Molloys Supervalu
Sinnott’s Centra
Danescastle Fruit Farm
Greenhill Fruit Farm
Slaney Farms
Wheelock Fruits
Or if your planning on growing your own…. Some tips on when and how to make sure you take home the best of the stawberries……
When is the best time to pick strawberries ?
From early June through to early July. Should I pick at the start of the season or wait? Early in the season strawberries tend to be a little larger than those in the mid or late season. The mid to late season berries are more medium sized, but the taste is sweet and juicy throughout. So don’t wait New Ross. You don’t want to miss them.
How do you know a strawberry is ready for picking ?
Strawberries will not ripen once they are picked. Choose a strawberry that is plump and has a vibrant red color all over. A Strawberry turn red from the top down, so if there is still any green or lightness showing, leave it to ripen a little longer. Is there a technique for strawberry picking? You want to handle the strawberries and strawberry plants gently. Move carefully from plant to plant, lifting carefully to look under the top leaves for those delicious prizes underneath. You’ll likely find ripe red berries on the same stem as green (still-ripening) ones. To pick, just put your hand over the berry and gently pinch it off at the base of the stem, but leave the green leafy top on the strawberry. Just be careful not to remove any green berries on the stem, so they will continue to ripen.
Should I rinse them right away when I get home ?
Don’t rinse them until you’re ready to eat them. Water can speed up spoiling, so it’s best to keep them in a cool dry place and then run them under cool water just before you’re ready to eat or use in a recipe.
How do I store them to make them last ?
Unlike many fruits, strawberries don’t ripen after they’re picked. So once you pick the fully mature, red berries, store them in a cool place. They should last about a week in the fridge.
Any easy recipes for using fresh strawberries ?
We’ve got some great ideas and recipes to hand out when anyone calls to visit.
Wexford Strawberries and cream
Sprinkle all strawberries with sugar then set aside the nicest Strawberries.
Put a couple of handfuls or so in a bowl, halve the vanilla seeds from 1 vanilla pod…..and splash of vinegar. Squash together with the back of a fork and allow to soften for 10 minutes. Stir the rest of the vanilla seeds into a pint of cream To serve, spoon the cream in the centre of each bowl, make a well in the middle and spoon in some of the mushed strawberries. Take the remainder of the set aside strawberries and sprinkle the lot over the vanilla cream. Scatter over the mint leaves if your feeling very fancy!
An easy Strawberry Smoothie:
- Half a punnet of the finest Wexford strawberries
- One Banana
- Greek yogurt – feel free to use any kind…. We went with a plain Greek yogurt because it’s packed with protein.
- Orange Juice: 100% orange juice. but feel free to use any kind of milk or even water!
