Extension > Family > Farm to School > Minnesota Toolkit for School Foodservice > Sourcing Food > Sourcing Strawberries
Sourcing Strawberries
Finding Local Food
- Local Foods Partnership online searchable database through the University of Minnesota Regional Sustainable Development Partnerships. It includes a wide range of food products from farmers mostly in northwest, western, and central Minnesota.
- The Minnesota Grown wholesale database lists Minnesota farmers interested in selling their products to schools. You can search online by product type and by region.
- The Land Stewardship Project has a Farm Directory for schools looking to purchase sustainably raised foods.
- Food Alliance Midwest is a national organization that certifies farmers who follow sustainable farming practices. Contact Bob Olson, the director of Food Alliance Midwest, for assistance in finding farmers: 651-265-3682
- Pride of the Prairie farmers have experience in selling to retail food buyers. For assistance in finding farmers, contact Terry VanDerPol: 320-269-2105.
Strawberries are ready in late May or early June in the southern part of Minnesota, but might not be available until July in the north. Strawberries do not store very long fresh, but can be readily frozen and the frozen product is easy to use.
Regulations on Buying Strawberries Directly From Farmers
Minnesota state laws permit retail establishments and foodservices to purchase raw, unprocessed fruits and vegetables from any farmer who is selling the produce of his or her own farm.
Best Time to Buy
Order fresh strawberries in early May for delivery in late May in the southern part of Minnesota. In the north, where strawberries are not available until after school is out of the summer, consider freezing strawberries for fall and winter use. Purchase strawberries in quantity in June or early July when they are abundant in your area. Freezing strawberries is very easy: wash berries, remove the leafy green "hulls," mash them or leave whole, pack into plastic freezer bags or containers, and freeze. Sugar may be added to preserve color of the berries.
Food Buying Guide Specifications
Reference: Food Buying Guide for Child Nutrition Programs; U.S. Department of Agriculture, Food and Nutrition Service
Food As Purchased (How the Product Can Be Purchased) |
Purchase Unit (How You Should Order the Product) |
Servings per Purchase Unit (How Many Servings You Will Get Per Purchase Unit) |
Serving Size per Meal Contribution (For Each Meal Component Category) |
Amount Needed to Buy of the Purchase Units for 100 Servings |
Additional Information |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
Strawberries, Fresh Whole |
Pint (11 ½ ounces) Pound |
7.9 10.5 |
¼ cup raw, whole fruit (1 – 16 ounce clamshell = 3 to 3 ¼ cups) ¼ cup raw, whole fruit |
12.7 9.6 |
1 pint AP = about .66 pound ready-to-serve raw berries 1 pound AP = .88 pound ready-to-serve raw berries |
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