California Strawberries – Get Real in California Recap

California Strawberries – Get Real In California Recap

A few weeks ago I was invited to attend an unforgettable event with California Strawberries, and today I get the pleasure of sharing it with you!

I loved getting to meet the wonderful people behind California Strawberries as well as hanging out with old and new blogger friends, including Michelle over at The Whole Smiths and Kendra from Paleo Paparazzi! The event was held in Monterey, which happens to be one of my favorite places, and only a 2-hour drive from my house. We stayed at the Intercontinental The Clement in Monterey, which is right on the ocean. It couldn’t have been more beautiful! If you’re ever in Monterey, I highly recommend staying there!

First, let’s talk about the food. THE FOOD! We started the evening with dinner at Montrio where chef Tony Baker created a menu inspired by California Strawberries. Everything was incredible!

Strawberry panna cotta with scallop ceviche – this was sweet and tart – so good!

Me and Kendra from Paleo Paparazzi, getting the perfect shot 😉

Crispy pork belly with balsamic strawberries and feta cheese – YUM!

Me and Michelle from The Whole Smiths – such a fun dinner!

Fresh strawberry ice cream – I got this minus the butter cookie!

The next morning we all met up for breakfast and then headed out to see some of the California Strawberry farms in person. What an experience it was! I’ve never picked my own strawberries before, so this was extra special! I ate at least 568 strawberries that day, give or take a few. 😉 There really is nothing better than a strawberry picked right off the vine!

One of my favorite parts of the entire event was meeting one of the farmers. I have mad respect for them, as they work incredibly hard to provide us all with food to nourish our bodies. The farmer we had the pleasure of meeting, Jesus Alvarado, began working in the fields as a picker. He learned English along the way, and now owns 80 acres of land where the strawberries are grown. He gave us all such a warm welcome, and you could feel his passion when he spoke about the strawberry fields.

Jesus showed us how the strawberries are picked, and it’s hard to even describe how fast it is done! In a flash, his hands were filled with perfectly red strawberries! Check out the video at the bottom of this post to watch Jesus pick strawberries!

The strawberry farmer, Jesus Alvarado

Loved getting to chat with other amazing bloggers!

I learned quite a few interesting facts about strawberries during this trip, some of which I’d love to share with you!

First off, I had no idea that 90% of all of America’s strawberries are grown year-round in California! 400 diverse family farmers grow these berries, and many of those are on multi-generation farms. Just another reason to love California!

California strawberry farmers are leading stewards of water conservation – did you know that strawberries require less water per acre than an acre of homes in Los Angeles? They also continue to invest millions of dollars in non-chemical farming methods, more than any other commodity group in the world. I happen to think that’s pretty awesome!

After we left the farms, Jesus joined us for a super fun lunch in Pacific Grove! I mean, how fun is this picnic style setup?

The Lobos Truck drove all the way up from Los Angeles so that chef Jasmine Wolf could create a strawberry inspired lunch for us! The cheese stuffed strawberries with bacon dust, strawberry ceviche stuffed avocados, and fall-off-the-bone ribs with strawberry barbecue sauce were INSANE! I left feeling happy and satisfied after an incredible meal!

Cheese stuffed strawberries with BACON DUST!

So, why should you be eating more strawberries? Not only are they delicious, but strawberries also have much less sugar than you probably realize, only 7 grams per cup, and 45 calories! They also have more vitamin C than an orange and are loaded with nutrients such as potassium, fiber and antioxidants!

Seriously, did you know that strawberries have more vitamin C than an orange? I had no idea! Now you know what you should really load up on if you come down with a cold!

I hope you enjoyed reading my recap of this incredible event! I had so much fun and it’s an honor to get share my experience with you!

If you haven’t already, try my deeeeelicious dairy-free strawberry milk, strawberry pudding pops, spinach and berry salad with a creamy poppy seed dressing, and red, white and blueberry shortcake parfaits, all made with California strawberries!

Be sure to keep in touch with California Strawberries on social media!

Facebook | Instagram | Twitter

Here’s some video highlights from the trip as well!

A very special thanks to ModernPR for organizing this event and to Robert Durell Photography for all of the amazing photos!

Disclaimer: This is a sponsored post on behalf of California Strawberries. All opinions on Living Loving Paleo are always 100% my own and I only ever work with companies that I absolutely love. My sponsors help to keep Living Loving Paleo up and running!