A recent Report also indicates that Strawberries and Raspberries are the “superfruits of the century” and are berry good for you!

 

The weather has turned warmer, it’s Wimbledon Fortnight, Henley Regatta is just around the corner and, at Copas Farms Pick-Your-Own (PYO) farms in Cookham and Iver, the strawberries are ripe and ready for picking.  It’s Summer!

 

“If you have not tasted a strawberry picked fresh from the field you really must”  says Peter Shaw, Fruit Manager at Copas Farms. “The flavour far exceeds anything you might buy from the supermarket.” 

 

Strawberries in the Copas Farms PYO fields will be in plentiful supply through to mid-August.  The best fully ripe berries are those which are plump and bright red with the fresh green caps still attached.  It is not necessarily the biggest that taste best, all strawberries, large and small, are equally sweet and juicy.

 

Not only do strawberries look good and taste good, they do you good too.  Patrick Holford, the leading nutritionist and founder of the Institute for Optimum Nutrition, has described both strawberries and raspberries as the “superfruits of the century” with one serving providing three times more health benefits than most fruits.  He has said “Berries are close as you can get to the perfect fruit” with strawberries coming out on top.

 

In addition to being an important food for anyone watching their weight or wanting to lose weight, berries provide numerous benefits.  These range from boosting energy level, reversing the signs of ageing, improving a person’s sex life and aiding concentration, to preventing cancer, colds, hay fever and asthma.  Patrick Holford recommends “a  serving of berries every day – that, far more than an apple, is likely to keep the doctor away.”

 

Copas Farms have been growing Summer fruits on their PYO farms for over thirty years and experience tells them which varieties have the best flavour and are most sought after by discerning regular customers.  “Currently we grow various varieties to give continual cropping” said Peter. “These include Honeyeye as an early crop, Hapil for a main season crop and Elan for later in the season.  Each variety not only offers a slightly different flavour, but the fruits peak to perfection at different times throughout the season.  We even have some customers who time their visits to pick their favourite variety.”

 

Come down to the Copas Farms PYO sites for your own fresh, daily helping of this “superfruit of the century”.  Opening times for both sites are advertised in the local press, but you can also ring a 24-hour answerphone number (see below) –

 

 

Dr William Butler once said of strawberries:

 

“Doubtless God could have made a better berry,

but doubtless God never did”

COOKHAM   Lower Mount Farm, Long Lane, Cookham, Nr Maidenhead.   24-hour number: (01628) 529511

IVER   Calves Lane Farm, Billet Lane, Iver, Nr Slough   24-hour number: (01753) 652727