As a proud California Strawberries Ambassador, I had the pleasure of traveling to Oxnard, California to meet the fourth generational family farmers who own Terry Farms.
Ventura Beach - The Lemon BowlIf you follow me on Instagram, you may have noticed that I was lucky enough to trade in the cold and snow for palm trees and sunshine this past weekend.

Sunrise on the Beach - The Lemon BowlAs a proud California Strawberries Ambassador, I was invited to attend a fun and informative farm tour along with several other bloggers from throughout the country.

365 days of California strawberries farm tour. (Photo Rene Macura)
365 days of California strawberries farm tour. (Photo Rene Macura)

Strawberry Harvesting - The Lemon BowlStrawberries have always been one of my favorite fruits and now that I have children of my own, we eat more berries than ever before. As far as my toddler is concerned, strawberries are candy! “Nature’s candy” as I like to say.

Will the Farmer - The Lemon BowlWe were hosted by fourth generation Californian farmers, Edgar and Will Terry of Terry Farms.It’s really too bad they couldn’t find a nicer looker farmer to tour us around….

New Friends from CA Strawberries - The Lemon BowlA few fun facts about California Strawberry Farmers:

  • There are more than 400 strawberry farmers in California, many who are multi-generational family farmers.
  • Some of the most progressive and environmentally conscious farmers in the state, strawberry farmers have invested more than $13 million dollars in research and sustainable farming practices.
  • California’s strawberry farmers use less than one percent of California’s cropland, but create nearly 10% of all California’s farm-related jobs.

Kevin and the Girls - The Lemon BowlBTW – see that guy in the middle? That’s Kevin of Closet Cooking. I am mildly obsessed with his blog and have been for some time. Meeting him in person was a dream come true!

Kevin Photo Bomb - The Lemon BowlHe even photo bombed my picture! #Winning.

Rooftop Breakfast - The Lemon Bowl

The photo above was taken during breakfast from the roof top of our hotel. After the never-ending Michigan winter, I couldn’t stop staring out the window.

Anne and Monica - The Lemon BowlFortunately, I was busy chatting with these two beauties: Anne from fAnnetastic Food and Monica from Run Eat Repeat. These girls are seriously inspiring! Anne is a Registered Dietitian who has her own private practice and Monica ran in over 20 races last year! I ran for about 5 minutes today and it was purely to avoid my children getting frostbite from being out on a walk too long…

Food at CA Strawberries - The Lemon BowlCan we discuss the food for a moment? As you know, I have more of a savory tooth than a sweet tooth so I was blown away by the creative ways in which strawberries were prepared for our trip. The strawberry gazpacho on the top left was the bees knees and don’t get me started on the kobe beef sliders with strawberry ketchup. There was peanut butter and strawberry jam on the slider! Worth it.

Eating Strawberries - The Lemon BowlFortunately, we got plenty of walking in during the day and were able to feast on as many strawberries as we could pick. In case you’re wondering, strawberries are loaded in health benefits:

  • Superfruit: 8 strawberries contain more vitamin C than an orange. Low in sugar, with only about 50 calories, strawberries are a great source of fiber, folate and potassium.
  • To your health: Nutrients and phytochemicals in strawberries help maintain a healthy heart, boost memory and may lower the risk of developing some types of cancer.

365 days of California Strawberries Farm Tour

  • Stay smart with strawberries: According to a recent study, eating strawberries more than twice a week appears to delay cognitive aging by up to 2.5 years!
  • Good for your heart: Potassium found in strawberries can help control blood pressure and fight strokes. Plus, antioxidants, fiber and phytochemicals in strawberries have been shown to reduce total cholesterol levels.
  • Dynamite for diabetics: The American Diabetes Association (ADA) identified berries, including strawberries, as one of the top 10 superfoods for a diabetes meal plan.

Strawberry Selfies - The Lemon BowlAnne and I couldn’t get enough of them! And you better believe we weren’t going to leave California without taking a #StrawberrySelfie.

Sunset on Ventura Beach - The Lemon BowlIt was hard saying goodbye to beautiful California but I had so much fun learning more about the hard working farmers that feed us nutritious food every single day. Thank you again to the California Strawberry Commission for sponsoring my trip!

What is your favorite way to eat strawberries?? I would love to hear from you.

No fork required.

Disclaimer: I am a proud California Strawberries Ambassador. Thank you for supporting the brands that make The Lemon Bowl possible. As always, all thoughts are 100% my own. 

60 thoughts on “California Strawberries Farm Tour”

  1. I AM SO JEALOUS!!! I have a Pinterest board devoted to everything strawberry just for Trevor. He is a fiend – sometimes he just sits and scrolls and tells me what he wants me to make. Criminal that I live in CA and didn’t get to go. Waaaaa. What a fun trip!

  2. All of these pictures are so beautiful and so vibrant! It sounds like it was such a fantastic trip..looks it too. I want all that food..right now. My son loves berries too! I call them candy as well, and he easily eats an entire container in a day if I let him… I don’t blame him at all! So glad you got to see some sunshine!
    P.S. Ever since I was scrolling on FB and saw your beach pictures over the weekend, my son was sitting next to me, and everyday since, he keeps asking me if we can go to the beach. Like begging. Im about to bundle him up and give in! ;)
    longest.comment.ever.

  3. I love California strawberries. My friends at work are actually EXTREMELY particular that Oxnard strawberries are the best since we only live a few minutes away. I thought they were just being silly until people kept advertising the strawberries they put on cakes and brought to work were from Oxnard. Very cool and very beautiful photos :)

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