East Alabama Living Spring 2022 Issue

E A L E A T S
Strawberries
By Ann Cipperly
With the arrival of spring, fresh
strawberries begin appearing
in markets, and u-pick farms
open for picking your own.
Strawberries are almost everyone’s favorite fruit.
They are sweet by themselves, and yummy in
pies, cakes, bread, pancakes, salads, jams, ice
cream, and simply dipped in chocolate.
Strawberries are a good source of vitamin
C and low in calories—select ones with a
natural shine and fresh looking with a green
cap when purchasing strawberries. Check the
bottom of the container at markets for red
stains indicating the berries are deteriorating.
When washing strawberries, rinse them
quickly in a colander under cold water. Never
soak them.
Native Americans were fans of the Virginia
strawberries. The Natchez Indians designated
the “strawberry moon” as one of the months
in their calendar year. However, widespread
cultivation of strawberries in America did not
occur until the mid-18th century.
Strawberry farms have continued to
grow over the years. As a result, numerous
strawberry farms in East Alabama open in
the spring, offering freshly picked or u-pick
berries.
Owned by Patty and Joe Lambrecht,
Oakview Farms in Wetumpka has sold strawberries
for nine years. Their season is usually
late March through the end of May. They are
open five days a week, but hours may fluctuate
depending on the availably of the berries.
Customers can check their Facebook page
“Oakview Farms” for updates.
Since they do not spray their berries with
pesticides, Oakview Farms’ strawberries are
popular with customers and restaurants. In
addition, not spraying the berries keeps their
flavor fresh.
This year they will have close to 30,000
plants. “Mother Nature’s excessive frequent
rain, frost, and freezing temperatures will
impact our crop,” says Patti. “We hope the
plants can overcome Mother Nature’s harsh
treatment, and we will have another outstanding
crop.
“The plants can be resilient,” she adds,
“and we farm them smart and well.”
One of the Lambrechts’ favorite recipes
is the Glazed Strawberry Pie that was Joe’s
grandmother’s recipe. She found it in the
original Vocational Education Cookbook and
gave the recipe to Patti when she married Joe.
The Strawberry Punch Cake recipe is
another favorite that the Lambrechts serve at
parties and family or office gatherings. It can
be prepared with a homemade or store purchased
angel food cake layered with pudding,
cream, and strawberries.
The Lambrechts operated a granary at the
farm for many years, which they sold last
year. Their stone-ground grits and cornmeal
were very popular and were served at the
best restaurants. In addition, their grits were
featured in numerous magazines.
Dempsey Farms, operated by Lee Dempsey,
is also a popular u-pick strawberry farm in
Lafayette. When the strawberry crop is ready
to pick, Lee will update their Facebook page.
While Sweet Pick’ins Farm in Dadeville will
not have strawberries this year, keep them in
mind for 2023. During the fall months, the
farm will offer mums and pumpkins.
Plan to take the family to pick fresh strawberries
this spring. A list of farms follows
as well as assorted recipes for making delicious
salad, pies, cakes and other dishes with
strawberries.
44 EAST ALABAMA LIVING