On the road

I was recently reminded of a fictional conversation that took place at a poker game in a popular TV series some 25 years ago: 

CJ Cregg: (dealing cards to other WH staffers ) King… possible flush… ace no help…. six… possible straight…. Dave of love for the dealer… ace bets…. 
Mandy: Check! 
Sam: Check! 
CJ: Check!
Leo: Check!
Josh: Check!
Toby: Check!
CJ: Mr President? 
President Bartlet: There is one fruit….
Everyone: Awwww… please…
President Bartlet: There is one fruit….. 
Toby: Mr President, check or bet, Sir, those are your choices.
President Bartlet: There is one fruit…. 
Josh: …or you should feel free to give us a quiz on inane trivia.    .
President Bartlett: There is one fruit whose seeds are on the outside. Name it please.
CJ:  Is it the cumquat? 
Toby: Check or bet, Sir. 
President Bartlett: I bet five 
(Everyone else, properly distracted, folds or withdraws their bets)
President Bartlett: It’s the strawberry. 

If you’re familiar, you’d know this was from the American TV series “The West Wing,” where a smart chief executive could lightheartedly outmaneuver his staff in a game of poker, throwing in a few rounds of trivial pursuit to keep them on their toes. Those were the days, huh? Fictional but, after all these years, still a masterpiece. It was written by Aaron Sorkin, he who conjured a beloved set of characters that serve as political and cultural goalposts and talked about long after the series had ended.

Anyway, I have retained that piece of information about the strawberry in my head ever since. 

It came to mind again as we drove down to Carmel Valley to do some picking at Earthbound Farm where they grow organic strawberries and for four weekends in July allowed the public to pick some for themselves, at a price, depending on the boxes people chose. The event was called “Strawberries You Pick” and on the last weekend, we went, mainly to give us all, the little one especially, a feel of what it was like to pluck a strawberry from its stem, rather than take one from a plastic container, as we have been doing quite often.

It was a clear day, a far cry from the usual cloudy skies. In fact, the summer hasn’t been summering that much here, with the proverbial June Gloom of overcast days stretching into July. The LA Times, in an article about San Francisco, described the city by the bay as having the coldest summer in years, something I presume applies to the Central Coast as well. 

The chilly weather is partly what makes strawberries thrive all year round. California produces as much as 90 percent of the U.S. demand, credited by growers to its “sun-kissed days, cool coastal breezes, and sandy, nutrient-rich soil found nowhere else.”  Much of California’s supply comes from the Central Coast, which includes Carmel. Earthbound does not have the acreage of the bigger farms but specializes in organically grown produce, and gives patrons a feel of the farm-to-table experience with its Farm Stand and Organic Café. 

Strawberries are a billion-dollar business in California and are the focus of much research. California Polytechnic State University (CalPoly) has a Strawberry Center where the academic community discusses the latest trends and research on the fruit. There is also a California Strawberry Commission with a website that is the industry’s portal, having a page devoted to recipes galore, from desserts to main dishes, smoothies and salads. Yes, California takes its strawberries seriously.

I know of people, though, who swear never to eat strawberries supposedly because they are dirty. There are a number of groups that have expressed concern about conventionally-grown strawberry, one of them naming it #2 on a list of the “dirty dozen” for having the highest incidence of pesticide residue. There’s also a website called Rawjuice.com that lists the “clean 15” alongside the dirty dozen, with this caveat/ disclaimer, directly from the site:

1. Don’t avoid produce: Even if you can’t buy organic, eating conventionally grown fruits and vegetables is still better than not eating them at all. The health benefits of a diet rich in fruits and vegetables outweigh the risks of pesticide exposure.
2. Prioritize organic: If you have a limited budget for organic produce, prioritize buying organic versions of the Dirty Dozen.
3. Save on the Clean Fifteen: You can feel more comfortable buying conventional versions of the Clean Fifteen, as they tend to have lower pesticide residues.
4. Wash your produce: Always wash your fruits and vegetables thoroughly before eating, regardless of whether they’re organic or conventional.
5. Consider frozen options: The Clean Fifteen includes frozen sweet peas, showing that frozen produce can be a good option for reducing pesticide exposure.

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• The clip from The West Wing can be viewed here.
• This is not a sponsored post. Just so happens that we have been Earthbound-bound (haha) a bit more frequently than we are supposed to be, because it has activities that suit our needs. Recently, we dropped in on a children’s reading session they organized, probably more for the harried moms than for the toddlers present. It’s also a place you can bring visitors to, to expose them to California’s strong environmental movement.

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