Who doesn’t love a fresh picked strawberry?  Maybe you bought them from a local farm stand or farmer’s market. Better yet, maybe you picked them yourself at a strawberry farm.

Not only are strawberries delicious, they are packed full of antioxidants, high in fiber, and contain vitamin C, manganese, and potassium.  Unfortunately, they have been listed as having the highest level of pesticide residue.  Washing your strawberries in cold water can remove 75%-80% of the pesticide residue, but what about the 20%-25% left behind?  Hmmmm.  I’m sure you can imagine.

I remember years ago when I lived in Connecticut we had a “pick your own” strawberry farm that I used to take my boys to during the summer.  I remember watching their faces as they would eat strawberries right off the bush instead of putting them in their baskets.  Shhhhh!  I also remember the red itchy rash we would get on our arms after picking.  I thought it was a reaction from the leaves of the strawberry plant.  In hindsight it was because the plants were sprayed with pesticides.  If I only knew then what I know now! Today this is why I only buy organic produce.  I recently posted a blog called, Summer Veggies and Fruit – The Dirty Dozen and the Clean Fifteen.  This is a good resource to help you decide which produce to buy organic.

My husband recently came across a video of an organic strawberry farmer named, Jim Cochran. In 1987, his farm, Swanton Berry Farm, was certified by California Certified Organic Farmers, becoming the first organic strawberry farm in California.  He has a farm stand and u-pick in Davenport, CA and a ranch for u-pick in Pescadero, CA.   Visiting this farm is definitely on my  “to do” list.  I can’t wait!