Friday Fun Facts: STRAWBERRIES!
🍓 Michigan’s strawberry season starts in early June and can extend into mid July.
🍓The U.S. strawberry industry is primarily located in the southern and coastal areas in California. In 2017, the United States harvested strawberries from 52,700 acres located in 10 states: 38,200 acres in California, 10,700 acres in Florida, and the remaining 3,800 acres from Oregon, North Carolina, Washington, New York, ⭐️Michigan⭐️, Pennsylvania, Wisconsin, and Ohio (NASS, 2017).
🍓Okay, so we’re not among the highest strawberry producing states, but raise your hand if you think Michigan strawberries are the BEST!
🍓Michigan grows strawberries for both fresh and processed uses.
🍓Most of the fresh Michigan strawberries were picked by consumers at “u-pick” operations around the state.
🍓The average strawberry has 200 seeds on the outside of the fruit.
🍓Nutrition: Strawberries contain 80 percent of the recommended daily allowance of vitamin C. They are an excellent source of potassium, which can help control blood pressure and fight stroke and they are an excellent source of fiber, which helps reduce total cholesterol levels.