UNIVERSITY PARK -
Strawberry varieties rated
superior for freezing have been
named in taste panel tests at Penn
State. Earliglow and Darrow
varieties were given the best
overall ratings for freezing
quality.
The taste panelists rated seven
well-known strawberry varieties
for texture, sweetness, flavor, and
color. Earliglow and Darrow also
ripen the earliest of the varieties
tested for freezing. The other five
varieties in order of ripening
were Redchief, Surecrop, Delite,
Jerseybelle, and Vesper.
The studies were directed by
Roland R. Daniels, Penn State
horticulturist. Daniels said the
ratings could help home gardeners
wanting to plant strawberries this
spring.
Vesper was rated nearly as high
as Darrow and Earliglow for
quality of texture after freezing.
Redchief and Jerseybelle were
rated lowest of all varieties for
texture.
Darrow was rated highest tor
sweetness, followed by Vesper and
Earliglow. Delite and Jerseybelle
were judged to be the least sweet
tasting.
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Penn State rates strawberry varieties
Earliglow received the best
rating for flavor. Jerseybelle had
the lowest flavor rating.
All varieties -except Surecrop
were similar in ratings for color.
Jerseybelle and Surecrop received
the lowest overall ratings.
Daniels said several new
varieties have come on the market
since the taste testing was com
pleted. He described Allstar as a
midseason variety that has given
good yields of high quality fruit.
“Before planting large areas to
any new strawberry, try a small
planting to see how the variety
does under your conditions,” he
advised.
He mentioned two new ever
bearing varieties worthy of
trying—Tristar and Tribute. These
have been tested at the Rock
Springs Horticultural Research
Farm in Centre County and
produced high quality fruit.
To grow some of the better
varieties for freezing, Daniels
advised buying only certified
plants, essentially disease-free,
from nurseries or garden centers.
He said strawberries can be
planted as soon as the soil is
workable.
After preparing the soil, follow
Distributor For
WHEELING
CHANELDRAIN
ROOFING & SIDING
Colors In Stock
• White • Gold
• Brown • Tan
• Silo Blue • Red
• Avocado Green
• Plain Galvanized
• Light Green
SALES
planting instructions carefully, he
added. If plants are set too deep,
the crowns will rot. If planted too
shallowly, exposed roots will dry
out and the plants will die. When
flower buds appear the first year,
remove them to encourage runner
formation.
For everbearing varieties, the
second set of blossoms will occur
about 60 days after the first. These
can be left on for a fall crop. For
information on fertilizer
requirements, mulching, and
disease and insect control, consult
county agents of the Cooperative
Extension Service.
The Penn State experiments
measured other factors related to
quality of frozen strawberries. For
example, “soluble solids” is a
term for the amount of sugars
contributing to sweetness. Percent
of soluble solids was highest
meaning best in Vesper and
Earliglow, and lowest in Darrow
and Surecrop.
Another factor related to flavor
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is titratable acidity, which gives
some estimate of a berry’s tart
ness. Surecrop and Darrow had the
highest ratings for titratable
acidity, meaning they were the
most tart. Jerseybelle was the
least tart.
The Penn State fruit scientist
said a strawberry’s acidity or
alkalinity, measured as pH, in
fluences color. A pH of 3.39 or
Conservation demo planned
Demonstrations will include
construction of terraces with
moldboard plows and the new
moldboard to chisel plow con
version unit that can be used by
landowners with small acreages.
LEBANON The Cedar Crest
FFA in cooperation with the
Lebanon County Conservation
District and the Soil Conservation
Service is sponsoring an afternoon
of conservation demonstrations.
The demonstrations will be held at
the intersection of Evergreen Rd.
and South Lincoln Ave., Lebanon,
near the Cedar Crest High School
on Wednesday, starting at 1 P.M.
and continuing into the early
evening.
56"
ROTOR is made of electrical sheet steel stampings. The
conductors consist of copper bars in slots riveted to the
copper and rings and soldered The rotor is spigoted with
the bearing brackets. The endshield of the rotor is fixed by
three steel screws and nuts to the rotor body.
STATOR is made of electrical sheet steel stampings which
hold rigidly in position on to the steel shaft. Synthetic
enameled copper wire is used for windings thoroughly
impregnated with varnish and stoved. The slot insulation
consists of varnished cambric and a wedging strip of fiber.
CAPACITOR is mounted between the fan and downrod for
reducing consumption of electricity and longer service.
METAL BLADES 1/16" thick
BEARINGS are lubricated with quality grease. The entire
weight of the revolving portion of the fan is taken by the ball
bearings.
SWINE S POULTRY SYSTEMS SPECIALISTS
FARMER BOY AG.
410 E LINCOLN AVE MYERSTOWN, PA 17067 PH 71^8667565
It Our Hum - Low Pries Is Our Ain
QualH
Lancaster Farming, Saturday, April 14,1984—D29
lower, a very acid condition, is
reflected in strawberries with the
best red color. In the tests, Vesper
had the brightest berries and the
lowest pH. In contrast, Delite had
the highest pH and the lowest
quality color.
Berries were similar in size
among most of the seven varieties
tested. Depth of color was least for
Redchief, a variety usually having
a white center.
For more information and the
specific times of the demon
strations, call Karl Hellerick,
Lebanon County Soil Conservation
at 272-3377.
-METAL BLADES