strawberry fields

From the sprawling vineyards of the Bay Area to the strawberry fields of the Central Coast and orchards of the Central Valley, California remains an agricultural juggernaut, producing more fruits, vegetables and nuts than any other state in the nation.

The public address system played the Beatles’ “Strawberry Fields Forever.”

For Nelly Vaquera-Boggs, the plastic tarps that cover strawberry fields in Monterey County when they are being fumigated with toxic chemicals offer little comfort — especially when those fields are close to schools.

Peter Brown stood in his spacious Central Park West apartment, pointing first at the dining table and then through the window to the park outside, with Strawberry Fields just to the right.

A string arrangement was written with the help of Giles Martin, son of the late Beatles producer George Martin — a clever recall to the classic ambitiousness of “Strawberry Fields,” or “Yesterday,” or “I Am the Walrus.”