Strawberry fields used to be a common sight in Southern California, growing among the region’s suburban sprawl with splashes of greenery and fragrant smells. Nearly all of the strawberries sold in the U.S. today trace their roots back to California, and many of the families behind these red berries can trace their family roots back to Japan.
On a recent episode of LAist 89.3’s daily news show, AirTalk, we looked at the intersection between Japanese American history and strawberry farming.
How Japanese immigrants took to strawberries
A large group of Japanese immigrants came to the U.S. at the turn of the 20th century.
“The vast majority of Japanese people were raised on small scale farms,” said Emily Anderson, a project curator at the Japanese American National Museum. “So working in agriculture was the perfect fit for them.”…