Cheap Strawberry Coming to Supermarkets Due To Late Harvest

Cheap Strawberry Coming to Supermarkets Due To Late Harvest

Strawberry fans will love the super cheap prices of berries this year. Because of an onslaught of cold weather in Florida, Florida’s berry harvest was delayed and with California’s strawberries ripe, the berry market is overflowing with the fruit.

Typically, Florida’s strawberry harvest takes place in January, while California’s harvest begins in Spring. However, the onslaught of cold, snowy weather across the Eastern seaboard saw delayed or damaged crops.
As a result, the shortage of strawberries in January has actually meant an increase in prices by 20- 25 percent in some areas. January prices reached record highs with an average price of $2.18 per pound compared to $1.16 average in January 2009.

Moreover, the influx of late strawberries in Florida has resulted in some farmers having to kill their crop altogether in order to make room for new crops, such as melons and other produce.

The current price of a pound of strawberries is an incredibly cheap $1.25 compared with last year’s $3.49 per pound average.

In Tampa, the glut of strawberries has prompted farmer Gary Wishnatzki to allow people to pick his strawberries for free. The Plant City farm offers 40-acres of strawberries. The opportunity also proved fortunate for the nonprofit group Redlands Christian Migrant Association who set up a donation bucket at the farm and managed to get over $6,000 for their efforts.