The UK’s pleasant sunshine might add a thrilling twist to your grocery shopping: strawberries so large they could be quite challenging to finish eating.
A remarkably vibrant beginning to 2025 has led to some exceptionally large strawberries this year, so you can enjoy their generous size without paying more for them.
Farmers have reported that the produce is 10 to 20 percent bigger than usual, with some specimens reaching up to 50 grams, comparable to the heft of a large egg.
Bartosz Pinkosz, who serves as the operations director at the company, Summer Berry Company, told :' Last week was my nineteenth anniversary in the berry business, and over these years, I've honestly never witnessed a crop yield such uniformly enormous berries. Many are exceptionally big—up to 30% bigger than those from earlier seasons, reaching the size of plums or sometimes even kiwifruits.'
He commented, “This year, some of our strawberries have become so huge that you can’t fit them in your mouth all at once; you might need two bites.”
He mentioned that the average weight remains at 30 grams, so not every strawberry you come across will be gigantic — however, this is encouraging news for those who enjoy a classic serving of strawberries and cream during Wimbledon.
Duncan Robertson, the founder of Dogtooth—a business specializing in robotic systems for harvesting fruits—has created machines designed to pick fruit efficiently. Already operational on UK agricultural lands picking berries 24/7, told They had also spotted quite sizable berries 'from time to time' this year.
He mentioned that his robots can handle strawberries of any size and would actually perform better with larger berries.
"The robot has been fine-tuned to handle berries of every size — thanks to the fact that the picking duration for each berry hardly depends on its size, bigger berries allow the robot to gather more kilograms per hour," he explained.
However, he cautioned that the biggest berries could force the robot to slow down its movements or else risk 'tossing fruit at people walking by'.
What's causing the strawberries to be so large this season?
Meteorologists mentioned that the pleasant spring sunshine we've experienced so far this year has aided the flourishing of fruits throughout the growing season.
Many areas experienced significantly lower precipitation levels than normal, accompanied by clear skies during the day and chilly evenings: This past April marked the sunniest month recorded in the UK since data collection started in 1910.
Strawberries thrive in moderate and sunny climates, ideally with temperatures ranging from 15 to 25°C, making this season's weather in the UK quite suitable.
Nick Marston, the chairperson of British Berry Growers—a body representing UK strawberry growers—stated: "The early-season strawberries this year are showing remarkable qualities in terms of flavor and appearance. The combination of warm temperatures, ample sunlight, and effective pollination has been ideal. This season we anticipate a substantial harvest with exceptionally good tasting berries."
Peter Judge, the group managing director at S&A Produce, commented: "The alternating periods of warmth and sunshine followed by cooler spells early in the season enabled the crops to mature gradually. This has fostered robust root development, providing an exceptionally solid foundation for the plants to produce high-quality fruits rich in natural sugars."
While big and sweet strawberries will probably be welcome, it also means that millions of households have already been issued a warning about a possible drought , owing to the limited precipitation, despite this.
The dirty dozen
Although strawberries are nutritious and tasty, worries have emerged regarding pesticide use in their cultivation.
Testing has found elevated amounts of forever chemicals detected in strawberries And they are regarded as part of the 'Dirty Dozen' list for fruits and vegetables that are most contaminated by pesticides during cultivation.
If purchasing organic isn't an option, you can minimize the risks by soaking the strawberries in either a water and baking soda mixture or a water and vinegar solution prior to rinsing and consuming them.
Chris Weston, who leads Thames Water, stated that the company is taking 'all necessary measures' to get ready for possible water scarcity situations.
Three years ago, the company was 'alarmingly near' to exhausting the water supply for its 16 million customers amid unprecedented summertime temperatures.
Explaining the weather, forecasters said 'Extensive regions of high-pressure systems, frequently stretching out from the Azores or continental Europe, have persisted over or close to the UK for prolonged durations starting from late February.'
'High pressure generally leads to calm and dry conditions, and although it's common to observe these systems during spring, they have remained unusually persistent this year.'
'This season, the jet stream has adopted a more winding route, frequently arching above the UK. As a result, areas of high pressure have persisted for extended periods, thereby obstructing the typical movement of weather systems.'
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