In Southern California, the arrival of Spring marks the beginning of fabulous fruit season and gorgeous ruby red strawberries kick off the season in juicy style! I was absolutely delighted when The California Strawberry Commission invited me and my family to spend the day out in their Strawberry Fields in Oxnard and immerse ourselves in all things strawberries!
Upon arrival, we were whisked away (rustic style) on a tractor into the strawberry fields
We immediately jumped into the fields and started picking the most vibrant, fresh, ruby red berries
Have you ever tried farm fresh picked Strawberries? I highly rec it, they are nothing short of spectacular especially when they are at peak season. And my little man just couldn’t resist . . . . .
He got a little bit excited after tasting those delicious fresh strawberries 🙂
Next we had the chance to explore the fields and meet local and passionate Strawberry farmer Bill Reiman (a 5th generation Ventura County farmer BTW) who really educated us about the specifics of strawberry farming. He showed us what healthy/unhealthy strawberry roots look like (not black) and candidly told us that this years crop was not up to his high standards (to me they were yummy BTW) because of the extreme fluctuating temps in SoCal this growing season.
Then we took a short ride to the rather chilly strawberry cooler, to see where they store and how they pack the strawberries before they are shipped to stores across the country.
After all of our touring was complete, we sat down to a divine strawberry inspired meal prepared by local Chef Tim Kilcoyne of The Sidecar Restaurant
Here’s a glimpse of our tasty menu which included:
- Bruschetta with Fava Bean Ricotta, house made Strawberry Mustard (My Favorite Dish of the day = YUM!)
- Braised Chicken Enchiladas with Swiss chard, roasted strawberry mole and queso fresco. Served with a black bean and quinoa salad
- Chocolate Genoise with strawberry mousse, ganache and a white chocolate dipped strawberry
- Strawberry Basil Meyer Lemonade (my little man was a fan!)
After our bellies were full of all things berries, we got some goodies to take home including a gorgeous flat of fresh picked strawberries. We had an AMAZING day in the Strawberry Fields, but picking strawberries and eating delicious food can sure be exhausting 🙂
In honor of Strawberry Season, I wanted to host a fun GIVEAWAY on behalf of the California Strawberry Commission and bring a little bit of berry goodness to my readers, so I am giving away THREE sets of the following prizes to 3 lucky winners:
Here are the details of this Festive Strawberry Inspired Giveaway:
- 3 Sets of the Following Strawberry Themed Goodies: ONE (1) Copco Strawberry Tea Kettle with a Harmonic Whistle and ONE (1) Set of Strawberry Flour Sack Dish Towels – 3 WINNERS
- How to Enter: Please use the Rafflecopter Widget below for your entries. You can enter daily through tweeting & posting a comment on this blog post
- Restrictions: Must be 18+, a US resident and have a US Mailing Address
- Contest Dates: 5/15/13 to 5/30/13 at 12 am EST
Disclosure: The California Strawberry Commission invited me and my family to enjoy a fabulous day of all things berries and they compensated me to write this post/giveaway. However, all opinions and berry insights are my own.
More from my site
Spring Into Wellness With Clarins Body Fit Giveaway
Luzern Laboratories: Harnessing the Power of the Swiss Alps to Deliver Radiant Skin
Summer In Clinique: What It Feels Like To Be A Mermaid
The Oaks at Ojai: A Serene, Healthy & Affordable Girlfriends Getaway
Sponsored Post: Evercar Offers Eco Friendly Cars in Los Angeles for On-Demand Transportation Services Like Uber
Fresh As A Spring Rose: I’m Loving Fresh’s New Rose Deep Hydration Skincare Products
I love them in my Vanilla Chiffon Cake with 7 minutes frosting! Thank you for this Giveaway!! =)
I like them just the way they are washed and fresh!
I love making strawberry rhubarb pie.
danabeeman(at)gmail(dot)com
I love them in a fruit salad.
I enjoy mine over vanilla ice cream and chocolate syrup! thanks for this giveaway! connie d.
I love strawberries.
I love them anyway but especially with milk chocolate dip
Hi! I realized that I mistyped my Pinterest name while entering this awesome giveaway. How can I correct this?
Just post it here 🙂
Love the tea kettle. It would fit perfectly in my tea pot and tea cup collection.
I love strawberies
I love using fresh strawberries to make milkshakes!
I LOVE strawberries in salads, especially with cheese crumbles.
-Veronica, @veronicaraye
I love fresh strawberries in my cereal!
Strawberries are my favorite! They’re great just plain.
I love strawberry shortcake!!!
Strawberries anyway is delicious but I love them raw and in smoothies I just can’t get enough of them, thank you for the giveaway
I love to enjoy a nice bowl of strawberries either on its own or in a homemade juice or smoothie.
I love strawberries and cream
Thank you for hosting this giveaway
Louis
pumuckler {at} gmail {dot} com
I like having them filled with condensed milk!
The photos look cool everybody must be having fun i love strawberries with rip cream
wonderful fun give a way!!! As soon as the berries are ready, its strawberry shortcake cupcakes here!!!!!! 🙂
I love strawberries. My Mother and Grandmother told me they were making strawberry jam right before I was born.
Strawberries are the best. I love when they are in season. 🙂
Looks like a blast, Romy! I’ve always told my mom I want to go strawberry picking. I think I want to try to make strawberry popsicles or muffins this summer!
What a fun tour you had. I recently took my kids to the strawberry farm too. This is my latest and favorite strawberry recipe.
http://utry.it/2013/05/strawberry-and-lime-sparkle.html
Thanks for hosting the giveaway. the tea kettle is adorable!
amy [at] utry [dot] it
My favorite way to eat strawberries is to eat them dipped in sugar or sweetner
I just love eating them plain!
I loved reading this post!! I am so jealous of your strawberry outing-it looks like your family had so much fun. Thank you for sharing!!
My favorite strawberry recipe is the classic Strawberry Shortcake. I love it all ways it can be prepared-it is my favorite for sure 🙂
I put them in Green smoothies.
I like to east strawberries with strawberry shortcake the best but do like to eat the right off the vine.
I love traditional Strawberry Shortcake when family gathers and also making all kinds of fun smoothies! Loved and enjoyed your photo blog!!
I love them fresh with whipped cream.
I love to macerate strawberries in balsamic vinegar and brown sugar and eat with simple egg vanilla custard 🙂
superb giveaway! and photos, It’s sure you’re having fun:)