From the strawberry patch for Lane County locals: order your berry pails from Kiwanis ASAP! Orders must be postmarked by June 1. This is a longstanding fundraising campaign by the Emerald Empire Kiwanis Club. They arrange for local strawberry picking, cleaning, slicing, and delivery to Eugene. It’s the easiest way to get fresh strawberries in season that are ready to be used in all your fresh desserts, transformed into scrumptious jams, or frozen for use all year ’round. The proceeds go to local charities and programs that help children. Deliveries will be made to Valley River Center on June 24, and you can pre-purchase 15- or 30-lb. pails. Frozen blueberries, strawberries, raspberries and marionberries (smaller pails — for pickup in August) should also be ordered at this time.
Culinaria Eugenius 
I would totally do this if they had an organic option…
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I bought them last year and was about to order again this year, but now I’m wondering if they use any pesticides on them. Do you happen to know how they’re grown? I don’t care about the organic label. I’d just like to know if they use pesticides.
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Honestly, I don’t know. I always buy Bentons from the market (at ridiculous prices) for jam. If you find out, please let me know!
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I contacted the Emerald Empire Kiwanis Club about their strawberries and this was their response:
“The berries are supplied by Oregon Fruit up by Salem. All we can say is that they are not certified as organic but our understanding is that they use as few pesticides as possible.”
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Hmmmmmm. That could mean just about anything. :/ Oregon Fruit is a pretty serious commercial operation. Veronica, how did they look/taste last year? So many people buy these berries for the convenience and fundraising aspect, but now I’m wondering. Thanks for checking it out.
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I called Oregon Fruit directly, but they’re closed for the holiday.
They tasted pretty good. They were ripe and sweet, pretty comparable to what we bought from other local farms. They were nothing like those awful supermarket strawberries. I’m on the fence now, though. I like supporting their cause, but I don’t like buying pesticide-laden berries. Not sure what to do now….
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Here’s the response I got from Oregon Fruit:
“Thanks for contacting us here at Oregon Fruit Products! In answer to your question regarding the use of pesticides, the answer is yes, but we monitor the growers and the sprays that they use to make sure that they are within EPA tolerances. -Barbara McMurchy, Consumer Relations”
We know what that means. Unfortunately, I opted not to place an order. I too wish the fundraiser had an organic option.
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Yikes.
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