EAST ALLEN TWP., Pa. — With children in tow, Karolin Mourani of Bethlehem showed her 4-year-old and 18-month-old how to pick the perfect berry.
"It's definitely always important to us to support the local people and just to get some fresh organic berries,” Mourani said.
She said she was teaching her children the benefits of picking local produce at Valley Fruits and Veggies in East Allen Township.
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"It's important because it's less pesticides; there's nothing in the berries that's gonna hurt them," Mourani said. "This is their favorite fruit and we just love to eat organic and fresh foods."
Valley Fruits and Veggies is a family-run, pick-your-own strawberry farm on Colony Drive near the Lehigh Valley Airport.
"Picking the perfect strawberry is all about knowing that strawberries do not get any more red once you've picked them,” said farm owner Deb Colitas.
"The benefit of having a local farm with fresh fruits like this is that you understand where your food comes from."Deb Colitas, owner of Valley Fruits and Veggies
“It's not like a tomato that'll continue to ripen on your counter, so you want to go for the most beautiful, gorgeous strawberry that you can find and then you're going to pinch the stem to pick it off and it is going to be absolutely delicious and you're going to enjoy every moment of it.
"The benefit of having a local farm with fresh fruits like this is that you understand where your food comes from and the freshness is second to none,” Colitas said.
Local means better taste
She said about 45,000 plants were planted on the family farm, hoping folks from around the Valley would shop local for their food.
"The grocery store strawberries, while they can be good, they are specifically bred so that they're going to transport because they're coming from 1,000 miles away," she said.
"When you can say that you've gotten a berry from down the street [it] is a totally different experience as they're juicy and red all the way through."
"Locally grown produce is going to give you the best taste."Suzanne Ickes, a Sodexo clinical dietitian at Lehigh Valley Health Network
Suzanne Ickes, a Sodexo clinical dietitian at Lehigh Valley Health Network, agreed that there’s a difference between store-bought and farm-fresh.
"Locally grown produce is going to give you the best taste," Ickes said. "We also know that once the vegetable is picked, it starts to lose its nutrients.
"Now you're not going to have a significant loss. It's not like the vegetables in the grocery store don't have value, they do, but they're not going to taste as good and the nutrition quality of the ones that you get at your farm standard is going to be better."
Picking changes people's moods
Not only is there nutritional value, but Ickes said exposing children to the process of picking your own fruits and vegetables sets them up for success in the future.
"It makes them more comfortable eating fruits and vegetables and the more exposure you give your children to fruits and vegetables, whether it's at the farm stand, or at the dinner table, the more likely they are going to grow up eating more fruits and vegetables on a regular basis,” Ickes said.
She said such nutrient-rich foods should be eaten with every meal.
"Dietitians are recommending that you eat half of your plate as fruits and vegetables, at lunch and at dinner," she said.
"Everyone needs to be outside for their own mental health, get the kids outside and get dirty."Valley Fruits and Veggies owner Deb Colitas
"And that's good for so many reasons: It can help with weight loss, it adds a bunch of antioxidants to your diet. If you're trying to reduce your sodium intake, fruits and vegetables are naturally low in sodium.”
While out on the farm, in addition to the dietary benefits, Colitas said she sees people’s moods change during the picking process.
"Everyone needs to be outside for their own mental health, get the kids outside and get dirty,” she said.
“We say we do not weigh people before and after they're in the strawberry fields, so snacking is completely acceptable, but it's the whole idea of just being able to be spending time together and having a memory, taking those pictures and celebrating your family."
Customers seem to agree
It seems the customers agree.
Bass Samaan, of East Allen Township, and his children were there for strawberries and he said, “picking something fresh from your own garden or as close as you can to your place, to your home, there is nothing as tasty as that."
Joe Benko, of Catasauqua, was there with his wife.
"There are more benefits to eating organic and the kids just happen to love strawberries. So this is a great, fun little thing to do for us to get out in the sun and enjoy some time together."Carolin Mourani of Bethlehem
"It's always great to have fresh vegetables," Benko said. "Just for nutritional value."
Meanwhile, Mourani, the mother of two, said, “we also think it tastes a lot better and it's healthier."
"There are more benefits to eating organic and the kids just happen to love strawberries," she said. "So this is a great, fun little thing to do for us to get out in the sun and enjoy some time together."
Strawberry season is short lived. Colitas said it typically wraps up in mid-to-late June, but Ickes said there are plenty of farmers markets and stands from which to buy fresh local produce throughout the summer and into the fall.
People can get outpatient dietitian counseling for diabetes, congestive heart failure, vegetarian diets, weight management, and GI disorders at the Helwig Diabetes Center.
