How Plant City's ‘Strawberry Sue’ became a champion for Florida’s strawberry industry

PLANT CITY, Fla. - Bay Area farmers will tell you there may be no better ambassador for Florida's strawberry industry than Sue Harrell, also known as "Strawberry Sue".

"Strawberry Sue is a Plant City legend. She is the marketing director of the Florida Strawberry Growers Association. Plant City is known as the winter strawberry capital of the nation. And Sue has done a remarkable job of getting that message across the United States," said Kristi Grooms-Barnes of Fancy Farms Market in Lakeland.

"Strawberries are the number one crop in the state of Florida. We have surpassed citrus as far as the economic impact on the state," Harrell explained.

READ: Celebrating the Strawberry: Plant City church celebrates 50 years with Florida Strawberry Festival

Love is what brought her into the strawberry field.

Strawberry Sue married a strawberry farmer and strawberries have been her life ever since. 

"Forty-seven years ago, I married a strawberry grower, and strawberries became my way of life," Harrell shared. "I went from growing berries to shipping berries and a little bit of marketing. I started getting interested in making strawberry recipes and being creative. I want consumers to know how versatile this little red fruit is. When I started doing that, everybody started calling me Strawberry Sue."

READ: Celebrating the Strawberry: Keel Farms strawberry Riesling vinaigrette

A few years ago, she was part of the effort to designate the strawberry shortcake as the official state dessert.

"We have local legislators that live in the Plant City area and work in Tallahassee on our behalf and they helped us pass a bill to get shortcake to be the state dessert. We took 250 shortcakes on the day of the signing and, in the house, and presented shortcake to all of the people in Tallahassee," said Harrell. 

Strawberry Sue was an advocate of making strawberry shortcake the official dessert of Florida. 

One of her passions is educating the public about her favorite fruit.

READ: Celebrating the strawberry: Parkesdale Farm Market strawberry shortcake

"The actual name of the white strawberry in Florida is pearl," Harrell shared. "By creating new varieties, we've been able to increase the sugar and the flavor in a strawberry. Strawberries start off as a little white flower. In about 30 days, it changes into a red berry. The perfect weather for Florida strawberries is cool nights and warm days. It will have more sugar content if the nights are cooler."

She has a technique for picking berries.

Strawberry Sue has tips for picking the best strawberries. 

"I call it the bend and snap. You just grab hold of the berry and pop it up, and you'll hear it snap off, so you're barely touching it," said Harrell.

Here's her tip for buying berries at the store.

READ: Celebrating the Strawberry: Berry Barn's Strawberry Pizzas

"Make sure the calyx or the green top of the berry is green and fluffy and looks fresh, that's a sign that you're getting a berry that's freshly picked and not old. Make sure you look for Florida on the label. Make sure you just keep them refrigerated in the container it comes in, because this is going to keep your berries fresh. And, when you get ready to actually make something for your family with them, let them get room temperature because they're going to get that full strawberry flavor and rinse them off with the cap on", said Harrell.

Strawberry Sue and her family. 

To engage future generations of strawberry lovers, Harrell helped create a character called Jammer.

READ: Celebrating the strawberry: Fancy Farms Market's strawberry cookies

"Jammer is a dancing, singing, animated strawberry.  I just drew a picture of this strawberry with converse tennis shoes. We talked about what we could do to make it educational for kids to where they're going to enjoy learning about it in a fun way. He's become quite a star in our area," said Harrell.

And in Florida's strawberry business, so has Harrell.

Strawberry Sue says cool nights and warm days are the best weather for strawberries. 

"What I love about the Florida strawberries is everything," Harrell shared.

Click here for more information about the Florida Strawberry Growers Association and Harrell's recipes. 

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