Strawberries usher in summer

Sweet souvenirs Virginia strawberries are ripe at the cusp of the season

ARTICLE AND PHOTOS BY NICOLE ZEMA

Sun-soaked strawberries are like the childhood friend you see once a year. You always pick up where you left off, making memories to savor until the next visit.

That sweet spot between April and June comes and goes, but the nostalgia associated with Virginia strawberries lasts forever.

Vitamin-rich and low in calories, strawberries are perfect for snacking or blending into smoothies, and are expected in most summertime sweet treats. The fruit’s distinct flavor profile translates to savory entrees too. Summer is coaxed to the commonwealth with every luscious bite.

Farms and roadside stands offering fresh berries punctuate Virginia’s landscape— more numerous than the 54 strawberry leaves encircling the official seal of the City of Virginia Beach. ‘If you pluck it, it goes in the bucket’

Every May, about 80 Virginia farmers open their pick-your-own strawberry fields to families intent on a sweet tradition. “You ever go to Disney World?” asked Tom Baker, a Virginia Beach farmer. “You always come home with hats or sweatshirts.”

When families visit Baker at Brookdale Farm’s pick-your-own strawberry farm, they take home 10-plus pounds of souvenirs.

“The time to determine if it’s fully ripe is before you pluck it,” Baker said. “If you pluck it, it goes in the bucket.”

But picking will be a little different this Strawberry plants flower in April before ripening into May’s red berries.

Find your fruit

• Visit virginiagrown. com to find strawberry pick-your-own farms and farm stands with local pre-picked berries in your area. Most pickyour-own berries are sold by weight. • Many U-pick strawberry fields are open to the public because they are considered an essential food service as the coronavirus pandemic continues. They have implemented measures to enforce distancing, and they’ve stepped up sanitation practices. Check social media or call local pick-your-own farms to learn more. The 37th annual Pungo Strawberry Festival has been canceled this year due to the pandemic.

year. Because of the coronavirus threat, Gov. Ralph Northam issued a stay-at-home order March 30, but pick-your-own farms can still operate. Many farms will implement social distancing measures liked roped sections and numbered rows for pickers, and they have stepped up sanitation efforts. Father of U-pick

G. Winston “Wink” Henley won’t take credit for starting the pick-your-own movement in Virginia Beach—home of the Pungo Strawberry Festival. But he remembers a time when no day labor was available, so he invited neighbors to pick ripe strawberries, and they paid him. The business model caught on. “I never had to pick another strawberry,” Henley said.

But at age 80, Henley still picks strawberries because he wants to. The blood of strawberry farmers must be speckled with seeds.

His son Bruce Henley operates Flip Flop Farmer, a name that ties in to his customer base.

“People like to stop and pick strawberries on the way to the beach, and then eat them when they’re on the beach,” Bruce said. “And then sometimes you’ll see the same people the same day—they’ll stop and pick more to take home.” Chandler—Virginia’s strawberry

Ruby June, Camarosa and Sweet Charlie might sound like the names of vocalists from a 1970s folk trio, but they are among common varieties strawberry growers cultivate in Virginia. However, it’s Chandler that has enduring star power.

“Chandler is still the No. 1 strawberry in Virginia,” Baker said. “It’s a very sweet berry. And it’s forgiving of being picked underripe, while some other varieties need to be completely ripe.”

Chandlers have a limited shelf life and should be eaten fresh.

“If you’re going to pick it today, and take a quart to Indiana for Aunt Betty’s shortcake tomorrow, you don’t want Chandler,” Baker said. “You want something to hold better. Camarosa or Ruby June will be just as pretty when you get there.”

Camarosa and Ruby June are fat and firm, able to survive jostling. Sweet Charlie bears fruit a week or two earlier than Chandler, which farmers often plant alongside other varieties to extend their season. Savor the flavor

Yoders Farm in Campbell County has diversified and enhanced the family’s multigenerational farming enterprise with a retail operation featuring products that extend the life of their strawberries, like freezer jam. Delvin and Lowell Yoder of Yoders Farm in Campbell County use plasticulture to cover rows of strawberry plants. Tall grass between the rows becomes a straw walking surface for pickers.

Clockwise from top left, Steve Gallmeyer of The Gallmeyer Farms Berry Patch in Henrico County; G. Winston “Wink” Henley has one of the longest operating U-pick fields in the Virginia Beach area; Bruce Henley’s Flip Flop Farm is ideal for growing early-season strawberries; and Tom Baker, a Virginia Beach strawberry grower, says the best way to pick berries is to pinch the stem between your thumbnail and finger.

“It tastes very fresh well into the winter, or whenever you’re hankering for strawberries,” said Lowell Yoder, who works with his parents, Delvin and Barbara.

“That’s what makes it like fresh jam, the berries are never cooked,” said Barbara Yoder. “So it has that fresh berry taste. We also do a strawberry bread that is kind of unique to us.”

The Yoders’ strawberries end up in milkshakes at their snack shack on the site, and piled into shortcake. Delvin likes the freezer jam slathered over ice cream. “And there is something magical about springtime and strawberries,” Lowell said. “They go hand in hand.”

Yoders’ strawberry jam allows people to enjoy spring flavors even in the winter.

Strawberry care

• Strawberries are generally ready to pick in late April and early May in Virginia’s coastal and southeastern areas. The western part of the state will have berries well into June. Always call the farm or farm stand for availability.

• Do not wash the berries or remove the caps from the berries until you are ready to use them. Covering the berries tightly with plastic wrap extends their shelf life.

• To freeze, place a layer of rinsed, dried and capped berries on a cookie sheet, and freeze until firm. Remove berries from the cookie sheet and package in freezer bags. Date the packages, and place them in the freezer. Berries also may be sliced and frozen in freezer bags for later use. Berries can be packaged with or without sugar. • Strawberries are fatfree, cholesterol-free and sodium-free, and they are high in Vitamin C, folate and potassium. Rich in dietary fiber and manganese, strawberries also are an excellent source of antioxidants. A 1-cup serving has only 55 calories. Source: Virginia Department of Agriculture and Consumer Services

In the midst of the pandemic, Virginia Farm Bureau Mutual Insurance Co. received some good news.

VFBMIC officials announced in late March that the company’s financialstrength rating, or FSR, from AM Best has been upgraded to an “A (Excellent)” from “A- (Excellent)” and its long-term issuer credit rating, or ICR, also was upgraded to an “a” from an “a-“. The FSR rating upgrade applies to VFBMIC and its wholly owned subsidiaries, including Countryway Insurance Co. in Syracuse, N.Y.

“It has been exactly 25 years since VFBMIC was last rated as an A company,” remarked Darlene P. Wells, VFBMIC executive vice president and general manager. “This upgrade was the result of the last seven years of excellent operating results and significant improvement in surplus. This recognition is a true testament to the fortitude of our employees, leadership team and board of directors to ensure we have financially stable and reliable insurance companies to meet our ongoing obligations to serve our policyholders into the future.”

The announcement was intended to be shared at the annual sales conference, which was canceled due to the coronavirus threat.

AM Best, the world’s first and largest credit-rating agency, named for founder Alfred M. Best, assesses the creditworthiness of more than 16,000 insurance companies worldwide. Its purpose is to strengthen the overall financial condition and operating performance of the insurance industry through its services.

AM Best said the ratings “reflect Virginia Farm Bureau group’s balance sheet strength, categorized as very strong, as well as its adequate operating performance, neutral business profile and appropriate enterprise risk management.”

It added that the ratings are reflective of VFBMIC’s continued favorable trends in operating performance, which has resulted in improvement in overall balance sheet strength.

Ray Leonard, VFBMIC vice president of sales, said the ratings upgrade is a testament to Countryway’s and the mutual insurance companies’ financial strength and stability. A strong balance sheet, profitable products and superior customer service, he explained, are the keys to success. BY NICOLE ZEMA

VFBMIC and subsidiaries receive an upgrade to ‘A (Excellent)’ from AM Best

Virginia Farm Bureau Mutual Insurance Co. is taking measures to support its members as they adapt to the current coronavirus circumstances.

Since Gov. Ralph Northam restricted non-essential businesses and issued a stay-at-home order in March, the company has seen a reduction in auto claims due to fewer people driving.

VFBMIC announced in mid-April that it would pay back approximately 20% of its April and May automobile premium payments to personal automobile insurance customers, pending regulatory approval. The account credit will automatically be applied.

“Our company was formed to help Virginians, and we have been supporting and insuring our members for 70 years,” said VFBMIC Executive Vice President and General Manager Darlene P. Wells. “And that is what we will continue to do during these trying times.”

In addition to auto policy credits, VFBMIC policy services representatives are working with individual policyholders facing a financial hardship due to COVID-19 by deferring premium payment due dates or by adjusting premium payment plans.

If you are experiencing a financial hardship due to COVID19, we have payment options available to support you. Please call 888-236-7716 toll free to speak with a service representative about alternate payment solutions.

Farm Bureau Insurance makes adjustments to support members

Online and available 24/7 Farm Bureau provides continuum of insurance service to policyholders

Virginia Farm Bureau Mutual Insurance Co. is operating as an essential business in keeping with Gov. Ralph Northam’s March 23 executive order.

The company has restricted access to county Farm Bureau offices but ensured there are still ways to conduct necessary business.

VFBMIC has 24-hour toll-free phone numbers that policyholders can call for specific needs: • To file insurance claims, call 800-452-7714. • To make an insurance payment, call 888-236-7716. • To change an insurance policy, call 888-236-7716.

For online transactions, visit vafb.com. If you haven’t set up an account, you’ll need to register for one using your membership number. Then you can: • Make a payment. • Request a policy change. • View and print documents. • View and print auto ID cards. • File a claim.