Many consider Oxnard the strawberry capital of the world. Indeed, Ventura County is one of the biggest strawberry-growing regions in the state, producing 36 million trays of the juicy red fruit annually.
An annual festival celebrating the strawberry returns this weekend.
"The strawberries of the Oxnard Plain thrive in our cool and moderate weather. So this year's crop is really strong," said Greg Berini, the chair of the California Strawberry Festival, which started in Oxnard but has now grown to fill Ventura County fairgrounds.
"We have our growers on site at the festival. You're not going to get any fresher strawberries. They literally go from the field to the festival," he said.
Berini added that the humble strawberry is worth celebrating, as well as all the growers who work so hard.
"It's really a mainstay of our county, and the festival was started to really celebrate the whole strawberry industry."
The California Strawberry Festival is May 16 and 17 at the Ventura County Fairgrounds.
