Agriculture is one of the pillars of San Luis Obispo County, and strawberries are one of our biggest crops— so how has recent weather affected this specific fruit?
Resident Taylor Filler shops for her fruits and vegetables locally. “There's just so much agriculture in the area, and we're able to grow so many things here," Filler said. "It feels like it's crazy to be buying stuff from far away when we have it all right here.”
But Filler said the last batch of locally grown strawberries she bought went bad in less than a week. “We literally just had that this week, where I bought some on Wednesday, and they were already bad five days later, like Saturday," Filler shared. "So that was definitely different than prior ones we've had.”
Community reporter Makayla Richardson spoke with Edward Lucas, who explains it’s not the grower who’s at fault, but the gloomy, rainy weather that’s been sticking around the Central Coast.
“It makes the strawberry [rot] faster than it's normally [does]," Lucas said. "So that's why it doesn't last long, especially if you don't keep them in a fridge and you try to sell as fresh as possible.”
Lucas has known Fabian Garcia for 30 years. Garcia, who owns Garcia’s Fruit and Vegetables, says strawberries are easily impacted when the weather is either too hot or too wet, like the past few days. “Wetter weather will make strawberries less sweet while summer makes them ripen faster and sweeter," Lucas said. "Either way, it’s going to go bad.”
During heavy rain, a 1/2 inch of water could be detrimental to the crop. Berries can split from excess moisture, and mold can spread fast, causing the fruit to rot faster.
Filler said despite the weather and its impacts on the fruit, she’s still choosing to shop locally. “Just all the options here and feeling like you're supporting local workers and farmers...is pretty cool."
