No Strawberries at Wimbledon?

We’ll already see one break from Wimbledon tradition this year as the players competing in the Olympic tournament will be allowed to wear coloured clothing on court. But the bad British weather that we’ve all had to put up with could also mean the disappearance of another old favourite – strawberries and cream.

The seemingly never-ending drizzle that poured down throughout April and May was in no rush to stop in the earlier parts of this month, June 2012 is likely to be the wettest it’s been for five years, and strawberry farmers believe that the downpour has prevented this season’s strawberries from ripening.

The cold temperatures and extreme moisture that the odd weather has generated have resulted in bad growing conditions for summer fruits. Incredibly, the same farmers who now believe that their crops won’t ripen in time for Wimbledon were concerned at the start of the year (when the weather was actually warmer!) because some crops started to ripen early. In a matter of months, farmers have gone from worrying about running out of fruit supplies to worrying about supplies not actually being ready.

Raspberry and blackberry crops are also reported to be affected by the cold damp summer, although not to the same extent as strawberries because they are grown on canes. Unless we get the early Indian summer that farmers and tennis fans are hoping for, it looks like strawberries and cream will be off the menu for Wimbledon goers this year. Still, at least that will leave plenty more room for Pimms!

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