By Pat Lawrence
Janet Stacy , an expert in her field. |
Janet Stacy hasn’t had strawberry fields forever but she’s
had them for eight years. And sometimes, the cold, sleepless nights
spent watching for frost or trying to tarp three acres of plants must
seem like they last forever. There’s only about six weeks in
strawberry season but it takes over nine months of planning, preparation
and vigilant protection to produce the juicy, jumbo berries that are
the trademark of Stacy Farm. When the season ends, Janet and Bill
Stacy pull up every root and start all over again.
This year the neat rows of raised beds are laden with super sized
fruit that are pure bliss for berry enthusiasts. Janet orchestrates
the family enterprise and her jobs range from planting and picking
to promoting the happy harvest. She sells produce at the farm during
the week and often at the Marietta Farmers Market on weekends. Bill
says, “I do everything mechanical, but she adds the color with
her ideas and enthusiasm.”
Janet’s dress code is sweat pants in winter and shorts and
tank top for summer. She likes working outdoors and is proud of the
30-acre farm that has been in Bill’s family 104 years. “I
used to work in construction as an overhead crane operator, but with
three kids, I wanted to stay closer to home. This gave me a way to
replace my income, be with the kids and enjoy the farm. It’s
a family business. The kids help”.
In September, Bill drives the tractor while Janet, with friends or
children, plants seeds through the plastic. “All the planters
are girls - two ride behind the tractor, each planting a row. One
girl walks behind, filling in where we missed.” They’re
one of very few strawberry farms in Ohio practicing “plastic
culture”, raised beds covered in black plastic. Janet says,
“The plastic helps retain heat and keeps the weeds down. And,
it’s much easier on the back!”
Strawberries can be profitable, but they’re also risky. “We
research the variety, prepare the field and send in tissue samples
to see what nutrients are needed, but, success is determined mostly
by the weather. Strawberries need cool nights and sunny days, and
no rain once the berries appear. The wrong weather will damage the
crop. Frost can burn the blooms. A heat wave ruins the fruit. Worst
of all is heavy rain. Strawberries are fragile; a few days of rain
can destroy the entire harvest.” Strawberry production costs
can be $9,000-$12,000 an acre.
Along with a weather scanner, there’s a frost alarm in the Stacey’s
bedroom. It’s connected to probes inserted into individual strawberry
blossoms, monitoring different temperatures at different times of
the year. When the alarm goes off, everyone runs to the field to cover
plants or initiate irrigation to avoid frost damage. Janet says, “Sometimes
we’re out at 3 am or up all night. One season we picked berries
wearing long johns and gloves. We haven’t had a ‘normal’
year yet.”
Harvest time is critical. “Strawberries aren’t ripe until
the whole berry is red. Ones with even just a little white or green
at the tip are ‘tomorrow berries’. ‘Today berries’
are all red!” Bill says store strawberries may be picked early
“to ride”, since ripe ones bruise easily in travel.
When she’s not picking or marketing strawberries, Janet corresponds
with the universities, attends conferences and researches techniques
and equipment. She hosts field trips for schools, 4H clubs and Scouts.
Visitors learn strawberries are fat free, have about 200 tiny seeds
and just eight of them provide over 140% of the daily allowance for
Vitamin C. A slide presentation among hay bales in the old barn is
topped off with “today berries” and shortcake. It’s
hard to tell who enjoys it more, Janet or the kids.
Janet first worked on Stacy Farms when she was fifteen. Bill was supervising
the summer help. They met again after graduation. “We decided
to get married in the pepper field.” Twenty-one years later,
she lives in the house built in 1826 and Stacy Farm is her home and
her life. She says, “Sometimes your back hurts, sometimes it’s
cold and windy. We work on today but we’re always getting ready
for tomorrow. It’s a way of living but it’s got to be
fun. And, it is!”
For more information call 740 374-2371 or visit http://stacyfarm.com.
Strawberries with Fresh Lemon-Poppy Seed Dip
2 pints strawberries
2/3 cup light sour cream
4 teaspoons honey
1 tbsp. lemon juice
1 tbsp. poppy seeds
1 teaspoon finely grated lemon peel
Rinse strawberries and pat dry with paper towels; set aside. To make
dip: whisk ingredients until smooth. Serve in a small bowl to accompany
strawberries.
Strawberries
in Balsamic Vinegar
1-pint strawberries, stemmed and halved
2 tablespoons balsamic vinegar
2 tablespoons sugar
Combine ingredients in bowl and toss gently. Cover and refrigerate
1 hour. Serve in stemmed glasses. Yields: 4 servings
Strawberry-Chicken
Salad
1/2 cup reduced-calorie mayonnaise
2 tablespoons chopped chutney
1 teaspoon grated lime zest
1 teaspoon salt
1 teaspoon curry powder
1 tablespoon lime juice
2 cups diced cooked chicken
1 cup sliced celery
1/4 cup chopped red onion
1 1/2 pints hulled fresh strawberries, divided Lettuce leaves
Combine mayonnaise, chutney, lime zest, salt, curry powder and lime
juice in a large bowl. Add chicken, celery and onion; toss, cover
and chill. Just before serving, slice enough strawberries to make
2 cups; gently toss with chicken mixture. Line platter or individual
serving plates with lettuce. Mound salad on lettuce. Makes 4 servings
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