We can look forward to a bumper crop of homegrown strawberries this year, according to the people who grow them.
The 2013/14 winter was the fifth warmest on record and, coupled with Mediterranean temperatures this spring, will give rise to a brilliant crop of British strawberries. This also means supplies will be on supermarket shelves around 21 days earlier than last year, starting this week.
Growers up and down the country estimate that there’ll be a 10% increase in strawberry production compared to 2013, despite the wettest winter in 250 years.
British Summer Fruits, the industry body that represents the suppliers of 98% of berries in supermarkets, report that not only will it be an earlier and larger crop of British strawberries, but we can also expect the berries to taste sweeter and juicier than normal.
It’s due to good levels of spring sunshine increasing the speed of photosynthesis, meaning the plants will be producing more sugars on any given day than this time last year.
From six weeks to six months
The British strawberry season was just six weeks long 25 years ago, but decades of industry investment in new varieties and protective covers means we can now enjoy the quintessentially British fruit for just over half the year.
For example, British producers are now growing more strawberries under glass. So there’s more early and late homegrown fruit than ever before, greatly reducing the need for imports. Last year saw just over 46,000 tonnes supplied to supermarkets by members of British Summer Fruits, compared to nearly 51,000 tonnes expected this year.
Dutch and Belgian growers currently produce strawberries all year round, and it will only be a matter of time before British growers follow their lead, as supermarket and shopper demand soars for homegrown produce. This year’s British strawberry season is expected to extend into late October and early November.
Has summer arrived?
Laurence Olins, Chairman of British Summer Fruits, said: “The first British strawberry of the year is the ultimate indicator that summer has arrived. This year strawberry fans can indulge in the treat even earlier than usual, and can look forward to an abundant supply right through to the autumn.
“More and more producers are growing strawberries in protected conditions, under glass or tunnels, so that the strawberry plants aren’t exposed to the vagaries of the British weather to ensure first rate quality.”
Make the most out of British strawberries with our top 10 strawberry recipes. Have you spotted any in the supermarkets yet? Let us know in the Comments box below.
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