| Shipper: |
This category indicates the company for whom the
strawberries were harvested. |
| Label |
This indicates the label under which the strawberries
are being shipped. |
| Lot |
This indicates the grower and/or field location where the
berries were harvested. |
| Size |
This category indicates pack configuration and specified
weight. |
| Pack Configurations: |
- Bulk Crates
- Pints
- Consumer Ready Clamshells: 1 lb, 2 lb, 4 lb
- Stems
|
| Variety |
California has several varieties in commercial production,
each with its own characteristics, advantages, and harvest time. Below
are the varieties most commonly grown in California. |
| Albion |
This new day-neutral variety has a seasonal fruit production
yield similar to that of diamante. However, Albion generally has a
slightly lower spring peak and is less prone to a summer gap in
production. Albion has a more consistently conical shape and similar
fruit size and especially early in the season, has substantially better
weather tolerance than diamante. Its fruit color is darker, both
internally and externally, and its flavor is consistently sweeter. |
| Aromas |
Released in 1997, this day-neutral plant produces a large,
firm fruit with great flavor, a good red color, and a bright sheen.
Fruit is produced slightly later than other day-neutral varieties and
production continues into late fall. Aromas are currently grown on
nearly 2 percent of the statewide acreage and are mainly produced in the
Watsonville/Salinas district. |
| Camarosa |
This short-day variety produces large, bright, firm, and
flavorful fruit with a good sheen. Because this fruit ships and stores
so well, it can be picked with full red color and still retain shelf
life. Due to early production potential, Camarosa is the primary variety for southern districts, though it’s also grown in the north. Released in
1993, Camarosa accounts for nearly one-third of the state’s acreage. |
| Camino Real |
| This new short-day variety was commercially planted
for the first time in 2002. Early tests show it performs well in the
Santa Maria district. This variety has firm, dark red fruit with good
shelf life and very good flavor. Camino Real has a relatively high
resistance to common plant disease. This fruit is outstanding for both
fresh market and processing. |
| Diamante |
Released to the industry in 1997, this day-neutral variety
accounts for more than 23 percent of the state’s acreage. A large,
flavorful, firm fruit with a bright red sheen and a long shelf life,
Diamante may be picked with full red color. Though grown primarily in
the Watsonville, Salinas and Santa Maria districts, this fruit is now
being tested by growers in other areas. |
| Monterey |
Monterey is a moderately day-neutral variety that is
slightly larger in size than Albion. Monterey has outstanding flavor
with a distinct sweet aftertaste that is unique among California
cultivars. Monterey has a good disease resistance profile, although it
is susceptible to powdery mildew. |
| San Andreas |
The fruit for San Andreas is expectional in appearance
and especially superior to Albion in the early season. The fruit color
for San Andreas is slightly lighter than that for Albion. The flavor of
San Andreas is outstanding, very similar to that for Albion. Its
typically high quality fruit early in the season, together with a low
chilling requirement, make this a good candidate cultivar for southern
California. * |
| Portola |
The fruit for Portola is similar in size to Albion but
lighter in color and somewhat shinier. Post harvest characteristics for
Portola are similar to those for Albion although it is slightly less
tolerant to rain. Fruit flavor for Portola is excellent and especially
consistent throughout the fruiting season. Portola has a relatively high
resistance to common plant disease. |
| Ventana |
This short-day variety was available for the first time in
2002, on limited acreage. Ventana produces fruit earlier in the season
than Camarosa, has excellent fruit quality, and though specifically
adapted to early planting in southern California, has also performed
well in Santa Maria. Ventana has bright red fruit, slightly lighter in
color than Camarosa, a good flavor, shape and fruit size, with similar
firmness and shelf- life to the Camarosa. Ventana accounts for nearly 9
percent of the state’s acreage. |
| Proprietary/other Varieties |
| Many farms in California grow
proprietary varieties. Unlike the publicly available plants bred by the
University of California, these varieties are grown primarily for each
individual company. One such proprietary variety is Driscoll. Together,
proprietary varieties represent more than 33 percent of the state’s acreage. |
| Count |
This indicates the average counts per basket or consumer
ready clamshell. Counts will vary depending on market conditions and
variety. |
| Color: Color indicates the depth of red the berry displays. This
will vary depending on variety and maturity. Grades are as follows: |
- Light (lt)
- Medium (med)
- Dark (Drk)
|
| Sheen: This indicates the glistening brightness on the surface
of the berry. Sheen will be graded by the following: |
- Good (Gd)
- Fairly Good (FG)
- Fair (Fair)
- Poor (Pr)
|
| Appearance: This grade is based on the initial assessment upon
opening the box. The ideal appearance should include uniform size
berries with good sheen, alignment, a clean healthy calyx, and free of
any obvious defects or foreign substances. Grading is as follows: |
10- Excellent
9-Very Good
8- Good
7- Fairly Good
6- Fair
5 and below- Poor |
| Pack: The pack grade is based on the performance of the field
crew harvesting the berries. The ideal pack shows nice alignment,
counts per variety, and size uniformity. The pack should not be slack,
over-pressed, or otherwise in a condition likely to result in permanent
damage during handling or in transit. Bruising, leakers, poor berry
selection, and over or under ripe fruit will impact this score. |
10- Excellent
9-Very Good
8- Good
7- Fairly Good
6- Fair
5 and below- Poor |
| Solidity: This indicates the firmness of the berry. Grades are
as follows: |
- Firm: The ideal solidity for handling and transportation.
- Fairly Firm: Yields slightly to pressure. Should still hold up to
handling and transportation, but is more susceptible than firm berries
to bruising.
- Soft: Usually due to being overripe. Will not hold up well to handling
and transportation.
|
| Condition |
The condition grade takes into account the current
state of the berry as well as any defect which materially detracts from
appearance, or the edible or shipping quality of the berry.
Higher numbers correspond with higher quality.
See commodity strength map for recommended shipping points. |
Comments: This section gives a brief description to support the
scores. A color percentage is listed at the end of the comments.
This indicates the average percentage of the berry that is pink or red.
Terms used to measure quantity:
Term
Abbreviation |
Percentage |
Very Occasional
VryOc |
1-4 |
Occasional
Occ |
5-10 |
Few
Fw |
11-20 |
Some
Sm |
21-35 |
Many
Mny |
36-49 |
Most
Mst |
50-75 |
Displaying
Dsplng |
76-100 |
Descriptive terms and defects of Strawberries:
Common Descriptive terms |
Abbreviation |
| Bronze |
Brnz |
| Bruise |
Brs |
| Cat Face |
Cat |
| Decay |
DK |
| Dehydrated Calyx |
DehyCal |
| Dirt |
Drt |
| Dull |
Dull |
| Fan |
Fan |
| Fork |
Frk |
| Green Tip |
GrnTp |
| Hold Over |
HO |
| Irregular Sizing |
IrrSzng |
| Leaking Berries |
Lkrs |
| Loose pack |
LsPak |
| Misshapen |
Mish |
| Over-Pack |
OvrPk |
| Overripe |
Ovrpe |
| Salmon |
Slmn |
| Seedy |
Sdy |
| Sheen |
Shn |
| Soft Shoulder |
SftShldr |
| Surface Moisture |
SurfMoist |
| Undeveloped |
undev |
| Water Damage |
WatDam |
| White Shoulder |
WhShldr |
| Wind Burn |
Wnbrn |
|
