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NM-Grown Strawberries a Sweet Treat
N.M.-Grown Strawberries a Sweet Treat
Farmers' Markets
DENISE MILLER
For the Albuquerque Journal
Strawberries signal that summer has arrived -- especially when you're savoring sweet berries grown in New Mexico soil.
While New Mexico-grown strawberries may look smaller, they pack an incredibly sweet punch that is distilled by our dry climate and plentiful sunshine.
Just ask Roni Stephenson, farming intern for Española Valley farmer Don Bustos, proprietor of Santa Cruz Farm.
Until about mid-July, Stephenson expects to bring plenty of organic strawberries to the Santa Fe market. That's because with the help of her husband, intern farm manager Jorge Stephenson, and guidance from the expert Bustos, they have planted 2,500 to 3,000 strawberry plants on two plots at Santa Cruz Farm.
The Stephensons and Bustos grow more than 70 varieties of crops at Santa Cruz Farm, and in June Stephenson will bring greens, radishes, turnips, beets, beans and more to market.
So what makes local strawberries so special? Being hand-picked within 24 hours of getting to market is key, and each strawberry is only harvested when it is perfectly ripe.
"We make sure the bottom is completely ripe, that the stem is brown, and that each one has a little green on top so that they keep better," Stephenson said. "But the other important factor is water."
Stephenson explained that because strawberries contain a lot of water, whatever they are watered with is what they taste like. Santa Cruz Farm strawberries are watered from the nearby acequia and with an organic alfalfa tea (hay mixed with water). Stephenson said that because alfalfa is high in nitrogen, vitamin B and other minerals, when it is absorbed by the strawberry plants, it helps make them strong.
"Conventional strawberry plants use their strength for size, but our strawberries use their strength for flavor, which is much more abundant. They taste like candy," she said of the resilient Honey-eye and Ovation varieties Bustos has cultivated for the past five to six years.
Another benefit of organic strawberries from local farms like Santa Cruz is that customers can avoid pesticides, such as methyl bromide, which is used to sterilize the soil.
Bustos and his interns use cover crops and crop rotation to feed the soil when their strawberry beds are dormant.
Stephenson is a master at helping new customers understand these intricacies, but her best sales tool is always the food itself. "People get so used to seeing big plastic containers in the stores, but once someone tastes our berries, I've never had anyone not want to come back for more. It's what a strawberry is supposed to taste like."
Stephenson, who is an herbalist by training, came to New Mexico from California with her husband when she realized she wanted to learn how to grow food and help heal people through nutrition. She found Bustos through a network called growfood. org that connects farmers interested in teaching with people interested in farming. She talked to him on a Wednesday in September nearly two years ago, and by Saturday the couple (and their dog) had arrived on the farm ready to learn and work.
Bustos is generous with his farming knowledge, not only helping train the next generation of farmers, but also lending his expertise to New Mexico farmers through the American Friends Service Committee that seeks to create economic viability through the training of small farmers in sustainable agricultural practices.
Locally grown strawberries can be found at a number of markets, but if you live in Albuquerque and want to try Santa Cruz Farm strawberries this month, try hopping on the Rail Runner early one Saturday morning and exploring the Santa Fe Farmers' Market that is steps away from the downtown train depot.
The strawberries may be too good to last the ride home, but you may never look at strawberries the same again.
Learning the seasonality of New Mexico crops requires some getting used to, but the rewards of buying local food in season are huge. You may, for example, only have six weeks to enjoy local strawberries, but for optimum taste and health, nothing compares.
BALSAMIC STRAWBERRIES
Sweetened balsamic makes the berries sing. I used regular sugar instead of superfine, and substituted arugula for mint leaves.
3 cups strawberries, hulled and halved
¼ cup balsamic vinegar
2 tablespoons superfine sugar
2 teaspoons lemon juice
Small handful mint leaves
Vanilla ice cream, to serve
Put the strawberries in a glass bowl. Combine the balsamic vinegar, sugar and lemon juice in a small saucepan and stir over medium heat for 5 minutes or until the sugar dissolves. Remove from the heat and cool.
Pour the balsamic mixture over the strawberries, add the mint leaves and toss together. Cover and refrigerate for 1 hour to allow the flavors to develop. Serve with vanilla ice cream.
FEATURED GROWERS: Don Bustos, proprietor, Santa Cruz Farm; Roni and Jorge Stephenson, farm interns
Featured crop: Strawberries
Where to find them: Santa Fe Farmers' Market
Nutritional value: Have more vitamin C than some citrus fruits. High in fiber, folate, potassium and antioxidants.
