WATSONVILLE, CA - Peak California strawberry season is upon us. And after a historically wet winter and beginning of spring, late-April’s warm dry days and cool nights have provided favorable conditions for berry growers entering May.
So what can we expect with Mother’s Day fast approaching and other summer holidays hot on its heels? I asked California Giant Berry Farm’s VP of Marketing Cindy Jewell to fill us in.
“It’s been absolutely gorgeous,” Cindy tells me. “We’ve had really warm temperatures all throughout the state for the last week or so. We’ve had temperatures in the high-70s to low-80s. Berries are coming off, and we’re ramping up in terms of volume.”
Cindy tells me that, despite weather delays early in the season, strawberries have come on strong as of late, with the company entering peak Santa Maria growing season and looking forward to a fruitful May and June.
“The fruit looks great. It’s good-sized, bright red, and juicy,” Cindy says, noting that price is stable and the company’s trading partners are excited for spring peaks. “We are already into our peak in Oxnard. And we’re coming up on our Santa Maria peak; from now through the next three or four weeks, volume will be consistent. And we are looking forward to Watsonville continually increasing with an anticipated peak in June.”
Rain forecasted this weekend may temporarily stall harvesting, but California Giant expects to have ample supply of Monterey variety strawberries through June.
For updates as the season progresses, stay tuned to AndNowUKnow.
