Growing
Around 120 acres of Sunny Ridge’s 240 acre farm are under strawberries each season. Strawberries yield their largest fruit in their first growing season so Sunny Ridge only cultivates each field of strawberries for one year.
The strawberries at Sunny Ridge are planted by hand as ‘plug’ plant seedlings or bare root plants. This labour intensive activity is carried out from May to November to ensure that Sunny Ridge strawberries will be in season for an average of six months of the year.
Picking usually commences in early November when teams of several hundred pickers work quickly through the strawberry fields. Only ripe strawberries are picked and they are given an initial grading in the field. It is preferable to pick berries in the cool of the morning, as they are more tolerant of handling at this time. They must be pre cooled to about four degrees within an hour of being picked, and are transported via tractor to modern high humidity cool rooms on a regular basis. Every hour outside the cooler reduces the shelf life of a strawberry by one day.
After careful selection in the field the strawberries are graded again in the packing shed. Berries are hand selected on suitability for each of the various packing styles and markets, and are sorted into size gradings of regular, large, extra large and extra-extra large. Any fruit that is not up to standard is removed.
Distribution
Strawberries are transported to distribution centers in refrigerated trucks and from here they will travel to retail outlets. The continued maintenance of produce temperature is known as the cool chain. Ideally the cool chain must be maintained right up until just before the berries are consumed so it is a good idea to refrigerate your fresh strawberries as soon as possible.
Sunny Ridge Strawberry Stockists
The Sunny Ridge Farmgate & Café in Main Ridge
Coles supermarkets under the Sunny Ridge label
Harris Farm Markets (NSW) through sales agent Mary Zulumovski
& Select quality fruiterers
Direct to the public at farmers and craft markets throughout Victoria
Local community events such as…
Montalto Farmers Markets
Opera In The Vineyard at Moonah Links
Key Sponsor Of The Dromana Strawberry Festival
The Rosebud Film Festival
Red Hill Show
Mornington Peninsula Hinterland Harvest Festival
Selecting and Storing Strawberries
Look for plump, bright red and fully ripe strawberries (they do not ripen after picking).
The sweetness of a strawberry is determined by its variety, not its size. The calyx (or berry cap) should be attached, green and fresh looking. Avoid berries that look ‘seedy’ or dull and soft. There should be no visible damage to the fruit.
When buying, always check the bottom of the punnet for moisture or strawberry juice. This is a sure sign of damaged fruit. Damaged fruit will only last a matter of hours and will affect the other berries in the punnet.
Strawberries should be washed before eating to remove dirt but too much water will damage the soft fruit and encourage breakdown. Only wash berries immediately prior to use.
To maximise flavour, strawberries should be served at room temperature. Take them out of the fridge one hour before you intend to eat them to allow the full aroma and taste to be realised.
Strawberry Nutrition
Strawberries are well known for their high nutritional value and medicinal properties. Just eight strawberries daily provides more than 20% of the recommended folate intake for expectant mothers and more vitamin C than an orange.
175 grams of Strawberries provides…
Kilojoules 175 (Calories 42)
Protein 2 g
Fat less than 0.2 g
Carbohydrates 4.7 g
Dietary Fibre 3.8 g
Vitamin C 79 mg
Folate 25 mcg
Calcium 22.7 mg
Magnesium 146.0 mg
Phosphorus 40.3 mg
Potassium 227.5 mg
Beta-carotene 44mcg * converted into Vitamin A in the body
Visit www.vicstrawberry.com.au for more details on strawberry nutrition
