Strawberries are in season and we have discussed some different ways to use every last inch of them for refreshment in cool drinks for the warm weather season.

Follow the instructions in the previous posts and you’re armed with refreshing drink ideas for you as well as the kids this summer. Any recipe that can pull double-duty is one that you want to have in your kitchen recipe box.

Strawberries are grown close to the ground so they pose a challenge in keeping them free of bugs and diseases associated with the soil.

This is why the whole groundswell of pesticides used on strawberries began to take shape. Strawberries became known as a finicky crop to grow and presented unique circumstances when grown on a commercial-scale for production for public consumption.

The route of growing strawberries organically, or any other fruit or vegetable, is that the product is highly perishable. This is where the concept of farm-to-table was born in that you limit the distance between the produce grown and the time it takes to travel to your family dinner table.

The goal is to create the shortest distance possible with no chemical or pesticide used in the growing process.

Strawberries in particular pose a challenge in their low-to-the-ground growing style. Take a look at this article from Eating Well Magazine about a farmer and his experience with farming and growing strawberries.

http://www.eatingwell.com/food_news_origins/organic_natural/organic_farming_success_story_growing_organic_strawberries_in_california

Read about the early morning he was in the strawberry fields when a cloud of chemical pesticides rolled over him and the strawberries.

He became dizzy and short of breath and that moment changed the way he farmed from that day forward.

Take the time to know where the food you feed your family comes from and how it is grown and farmed before you purchase it.

Make an effort to join a CSA (Community Supported Agriculture) or get to know the farmers at your local farmers’ market. You can find out more about what a CSA does and how to join here.

http://www.localharvest.org/csa/

They can guide you in your choices and help you understand how to adjust your menus to a seasonal calendar.

This way your family is always eating what is at the peak of freshness.

The first week of the June 2014 blogathon is done. Tomorrow is Monday and the start of another week!