Get: The Best Strawberries Ever

May 30

May 30 Get: The Best Strawberries Ever

Hallelujah, it's strawberry season! And tomorrow is strawberry day! Sure, I could buy strawberries any day, but I always wait until Wednesday, because that's when I can buy the Best Strawberries Ever.

They're sold at the Saratoga Village Farmer's Market on Wednesday afternoons from 1:30-6 pm, the exact stand is pictured below. These are the cheapest and best strawberries I've been able to find. In previous years, I've been partial to the ever-popular Uesugi Farms strawberry stand on Saratoga Avenue, near the 85 on-ramp. But this strawberry season, I've discovered a strawberry deal that's cheaper and closer to home and possibly cleaner. Suffice it to say, I've changed allegiances.

Before diving into the nitty gritty for my fellow Silicon Valley Frugal Fannies, a brief strawberry lesson:

Strawberry Vocabulary

A Flat = a double box of berries (see the yellow boxes in the photo below).

Half-Flat = one box of berries (6 baskets within).

A half-flat is the perfect size for my family of strawberry enthusiasts; we go through the box in about 24 hours. At the Uesugi Strawberry Stand, a half-flat sells for $15 and a full flat for $25. I would buy a full flat, ask them to cut it into 2 boxes, and sell & deliver one box to a friend. So, $12.50 for a box of succulent strawberries.

At the Saratoga Village strawberry stand, a half-flat sells for $12 and a full flat for $22—$11 per box if I split with a friend. Better deal indeed!

Now, let's discuss the quality of the fruit. The two stands sell berries that are equally delicious, but are they equally clean? Strawberries rank #1 in the Dirty Dozen list of produce that is most pesticide-laden and should be purchased organic. Neither stand is certified organic. While I don't know Uesugi's growing procedures, I do know that the Saratoga Village Strawberry Lady stated that her berries are grown without the use of pesticides. That's clean enough for me, and gave me consumer confidence, given the fact that I could spend a lot more money to get certified organic strawberries just a few feet away.

The drought-annihilating winter rains have led to a spectacularly juicy and sweet strawberry crop. Revel in strawberry season along with me and enjoy these natural wonders to the fullest!