by the Olga Strawberry Council
A bowl full of sweetness
The Marshall Strawberry, lauded to be the sweetest of them all, was the species grown here on Orcas Island and disbursed to places far and wide between the early 1930s and about 1943. Its fame and fortune was cut short because of disease and World War II that made field and barreling plant workers scarce. The Olga Strawberry Barreling Plant (now known as the Artworks Building) is all that is left of this amazing and significant era on Orcas Island. Since then, the Marshall became almost extinct except for a few precious plants maintained at the USDA’s Germplasm Repository in Corvallis, Oregon.
But the future is hopeful for this sweet little fruit. A significant revival is underway in the U.S. by just a handful of people determined to bring it back. Leah Gauthier is one of those people, and she will be giving a talk here on Orcas Island about her efforts to revive this precious fruit and what it takes to grow, maintain and nurture it in order to create more from the trailers it produces. To make it even more special, Betty Jean Rodenberger Densmore and John Willis will also be at this talk to lend their Orcas Island recollections and tales.
The community is invited to come hear Leah and friends about the Marshall and how it changed the landscape of the Olga/Doe Bay area for a few extraordinary years.
Monday, May 9 at 2 pm at the Olga Community Club (Energenic Club). No charge – donation appreciated.
