Waimea Strawberries

by Lucy Lee Jones on January 21, 2009

in FOOD, GARDENING, Preserves

WAIMEA STRAWBERRIES
click here for larger image WAIMEA STRAWBERRIES
A few days ago, I talked about apricot and peach preserves and jams that my friend showed me how to make. When he saw that post, he sent me a message to say that I should be sure to tell everyone that the jars, the lids, the fruit – everything – needs to be kept kept at 200 degrees F! So now I bring you strawberries! These are strawberries from the fields in Waimea, a northern area of the Big Island of Hawai`i. You can’t believe how big and sweet they are. I have to eat a bunch of them right away before I make them up into preserves. Just like with the apricots and peaches, the extra juice at the end is used to make strawberry flavored ginger preserves. I honestly don’t know which way I like them better – as strawberry preserves or as ginger-strawberry preserves. Either way, they are totally fine on hot, freshly baked biscuits, over ice cream, or wherever your imagination takes you. Sometimes I’ve mixed up a few tablespoons in plain, non-fat yogurt as a special dessert. It’s just about strawberry season, so you know what I’ll be doing soon!

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{ 4 comments… read them below or add one }

1 Brenda March 30, 2009 at 8:56 am

I want to go to Waimea and pick my own strawberries, or buy some just picked. Can you tell me when and where I might do that?

I make freezer strawberry jam. Incredibly fresh flavored!

Would also like recipe for ginger-strawberry jam.

2 Lucy Lee Jones March 30, 2009 at 10:12 pm

Aloha! Thank you for your comments, Brenda. You must live on the Big Island, if you want Waimea strawberries. If so, the Rincon Family Farm has always had a little roadside stand right by Daniel Thiebaut’s restaurant in Waimea. That’s where I always bought them, but then I think they closed. They still sell them through the KTA store in Waimea and I pay the same price. I’m not sure if you can go pick your own or not, but they are in the phone book.

I make the ginger-strawberry jam out of the extra juice after I’ve made the plain strawberry jam. There is always way more juice than I want, so after taking out what I want for the strawberry jam, I continue cooking just the juice with chopped up pieces of candied ginger added. That’s all there is to it – nothing really special to making it, but oh, so delicious! I like it over ice cream :)
Aloha,
Lucy

3 Marilynn Chang June 30, 2012 at 7:28 pm

Early March, 2013 we are celebrating our first grandchild’s birthday. The theme is Strawberry Shortcake Dolls. We are planning to paint some small planters and have fresh strawberry plants in them for table pieces. Do you or do you know of anyone in the Waimea District that sells the plants. We would need about 20 of them. Thank you in advance. I look forward to your response.

4 Lucy Lee Jones July 1, 2012 at 1:05 am

You might check the Rincon Family Farms in the phone book, or one of the nurseries in that area. I occasionally even see plants in places like Home Depot garden department. Late winter might be the time to find plants. Good luck on this! I like the idea of your theme! :)

Also, others who read this might be able to give you some better instructions. Check another comment on this post, too.
Aloha,
Lucy

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