Market & Garden Report: Strawberries

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Jo Anne Smith's sign at Boise's Capital City Public Market

[HOST INTRO] California produces 90% of America’s strawberries.  To grow that much fruit, the California strawberry industry uses highly toxic fumigants and fruit varieties that travel well, but lack taste.

On today’s Market & Garden Report, Guy Hand learns that local strawberry growers are taking a tastier, less toxic path . . . a path that also leads to an Idaho strawberry cocktail.

(Hand) In 1949, Idaho grew nearly 500 acres of strawberries.  But, like most states it couldn’t compete against the gigantic California strawberry industry.  Now Idaho grows less than 30 commercial acres.  But Jo Anne Smith is one of a few farmers trying to reverse that trend.  She’s at the Capital City Public Market selling bright red local strawberries.

Jo Anne Smith of Smith Berry Farm in Payette, Idaho

(Smith) Well, when we moved to Idaho, it was very apparent to me that there were no strawberry stands so I thought one of these days I’m going to grow strawberries and sell ‘em.

(Hand) Smith now grows those strawberries near Payette.  She controls bugs with beneficial insects rather than pesticides and cultivates a fragile but flavorful strawberry called Seascape.

(Smith) This variety that I grow is an old, old variety developed for appearance and flavor, it does not do well commercially because it doesn’t ship very well, but you sacrifice flavor for that ability to have that tough outer skin, (laughing) kind of like the way the tomato has gone.

(Hand)  How’s the season going so far?  This has been a strange Spring.   (Smith) We’re late this season by about 2 weeks but because of the cool temperatures, strawberries really like that, and they hang on the plant longer and they’re really sweet.

Fresh Idaho strawberries

(Music, bar sounds)  That’s good news for Red Feather bartender Mark Allen.  The Red Feather Lounge is just steps away from Boise’s farmers’ market and Allen is one of a new breed of mixologists looking to farmers’ markets for ingredients, like fresh, flavorful strawberries.

(Allen) Today I was going to do a cocktail called the Floradora.  Kind of a more simple drink, hopefully people can make this at home.

(Hand) Allen starts by adding to his shaker a half ounce of simple syrup, which is nothing more than 2 parts sugar dissolved in 1 part water.

(Allen)  And then grab a small handful of the fresh strawberries.  And then I’m going to muddle these fresh strawberries into the sugar.

(Hand) With a muddling stick, he mashes the strawberries into the simple syrup. (muddling sounds)

(Allen) And then I’m going to add fresh lime juice.  I’ve got a hand squeezer here and take about a half of a lime . . . (dripping sounds).  Then the fun stuff, the gin goes in.  We’ll do 2 full ounces of this gin.  I’ll shake that up (shaking sounds).

(Hand) Allen then strains the strawberry-hued mixture into a tall, thin, ice-filled glass.

(Allen) And then I like to add a little texture to the drink, getting carbonation, so I’m going to do ginger ale. And you have the Floradora.  (Hand) Wow, looks good.

(Hand) Strawberries are now available from several local growers at area farmers’ markets.   For Edible Idaho’s Market & Garden Report and Boise State Public Radio, I’m Guy Hand.

The Floradora Strawberry Cocktail from the Red Feather Lounge in Boise

Floradora Strawberry Cocktail Recipe courtesy of Mark Allen at the Red Feather Lounge:

Makes one cocktail

• 1/2 oz. simple syrup (2 parts sugar dissolved in 1 part water)
• 4 or 5 local strawberries (1 reserved for garnish)
• juice from 1/2 lime
• 2 oz. gin (Allen likes Beefeater Gin for this)
• a splash of ginger ale
• ice

Method:

• In a cocktail shaker, add the simple syrup and strawberries and muddle or mash together with a muddling stick
• Add the lime juice and the gin
• Add ice to the shaker and shake vigorously
• Strain the mixture into a tall, thin cocktail glass filled with ice
• Top with a splash of ginger ale to taste
• Garnish with reserved strawberry

And here’s an article on the controversy surrounding pesticide use with strawberries:

Controversial Strawberry Pesticide Worries Scientists

Tags: agriculture, farm to table, farmer's market, food, foodways, Idaho, Industrial agriculture, strawberries, strawberry, sustainable agriculture

This entry was posted on June 25, 2010 at 5:00 am and is filed under The Market & Garden Report. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed.