Bucks County Taste
My 4-year old son, Jake, loves strawberries. Many times during the year, we’ll spend a fortune on somewhat unripe, generally tasteless berries from California in the grocery store. By the time we get to the checkout, only half remain. I find it hard to spend so much for inferior fruit, but hey, he likes them and we don’t have any other options.
But my worries are over. It’s strawberry season! Jake, just think of biting into a juicy, ripe, berry that doesn’t need a tractor trailer to reach your mouth! Because of the warm weather we’ve had in the last few weeks, many pick-your-own (PYO) places are ready for you to start picking. Some farms are not quite ready, but will be in the next few weeks. Many farms grow a number of varieties—with the hope that they become ripe at different times and extend the PYO season.
Many farms have berries that are already picked, but picking your own is a lot of fun (and usually cheaper). If you’re heading out to one of the many local farms that have PYO strawberries, here are some tips that may help:
- Always call before showing up at the farm (especially this early in the season). Depending on the weather, berries may not be ripe or may be picked out. Ask them if you need to bring your own containers. It isn’t a bad idea to check out a farm’s website, which usually has good information.
- Only pick firm, plump and fully red berries. Unripe strawberries won’t ripen after being picked. Grasp the stem just above the berry, between the forefinger and thumbnail. Then pull, with a slight twisting motion. Be gentle putting them in the container.
- Help out the farmers by removing any rotten, bug-eaten or other “bad” berries. Rot will spread quickly to the “good” berries.
- As far as strawberries are concerned, size DOESN’T matter. As long as they are completely red, they’re good to pick. Some even say that the smaller berries taste better.
- The best time to pick strawberries is early on a cool, cloudy day. They’ll last longer than in the heat. Plus, you won’t end up looking like a berry from sunburn!
- Once picked, keep them out of the sun and heat as much as possible. Cool them down as soon as you can. And never wash them until you’re ready to use them—moisture will hasten rotting. Here are some other tips on cleaning strawberries properly.
- Try not to pile the berries more than 5 inches deep in your container. The ones on the bottom will start to bruise from the weight.
- Don’t pick more than you’re going to use. Strawberries will quickly mold at room temperature and will only last a couple days in the fridge. If you’re not going to use them right away, wash them, cut off the hulls and freeze them in a zipper bag (be sure to squeeze out as much air as possible).
Now that you know the ins and outs of PYO strawberries, it’s time to head to the farm. Here’s a list of some of the many Bucks County farms that offer PYO:
Active Acres Farm
881 Highland Rd., Newtown, PA 18940, 215.968.2192
“Bobwhite Acres”
3879 East Mill Rd., Coopersburg, PA 18035, 215.679.7756
Brumbaugh’s Farm
2575 County Line Rd., Telford, PA 18969, 215.723.3508
Center Farm
2224 Forest Grove Rd., Furlong, PA 18925, 215.794.7702
Hellerick’s Family Farm
5500 Easton Rd. (Rt. 611), Doylestown, PA 18902, 215.766.8388
Manoff Market Gardens
3157 Comfort Rd., Solebury, PA 18963, 215.297.8220
None Such Farm Market
4458 York Rd. (Rt. 263), Buckingham, PA 18912, 215.794.5201
Penn Vermont Fruit Farm
Rt. 113 & Rolling Hills Rd., Bedminster, PA 18910, 215.795.2475
Shady Brook Farm
931 Stony Hill Rd., Yardley, PA 19067, 215.968.1670
Snipes Farm
890 W Bridge St., Morrisville, PA 19067, 215.295.1138
Solly’s Farm Market
707 Almshouse Rd., Ivyland, PA 18974, 215.357.2850
Styer Orchard
97 Styers Lane, Langhorne, PA 19047, 215.702.9633
Tabora Farm & Orchard
1104 Upper Stump Rd., Chalfont, PA 18914, 215.249.3016
The Market at Del Val by Shady Brook Farm
2100 Lower State Road, Doylestown, PA 18901, 215-230-7170
Trauger’s Farm Market
Rt. 611, Kintnersville, PA 18930, 610.847.5702
Jacob & Jayne Wildemore
977 Upper Stump Rd., Chalfont, PA 18914, 215.249.3683
If we missed any, PLEASE let us know. We’ll update the post.
Updated May 25, 2010 to add The Market at Del Val by Shady Brook Farm.
Updated June 4, 2010 to add “Bobwhite Acres”
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8 Responses to Pick-your-own strawberries in Bucks
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"New post: Bucks Food Calendar: May 18, 2012 http://t.co/1BUsYCVp #buckscounty, #localfood— BCTaste
[...] This post was mentioned on Twitter by Rachel Summers, Lynne S Goldman. Lynne S Goldman said: New post: Pick-your-own strawberri… http://bit.ly/cV0GIx #Bucks County, #localfood [...]
Last year we picked at Del Val Market – great chance to PYO and then have some great ice cream!
We stopped at Penn Vermont today and saw no activity related to strawberries. Perhaps they’re not growing them this year????
Thanks for the information. We love picking our own strawberries and this year we are fortunate enough to have our very own little patch. One thing I might add to your post is that strawberries that are still a little green ripen very nicely when set in a windowsill or in the sun. We often pick them a little early so that the birds or slugs do not get into the juicy, fully red berries.
[...] short and sweet. And if none of this tickles your fancy, go pick some strawberries! See our post on where you can pick-your-own [...]
[...] local strawberries so this would be a great weekend to get out and pick-your-own (see our previous post on where to go) or pick some up at a local farmers’ market or farm market. If you’re too [...]
[...] Local strawberries are just starting to show up, a little delayed by all the rain, but hopefully not washed away like two years ago. Do me a favor, however. When you see strawberries, or other berries, locally, let me know where you found them, and also ask the vendor where they are from (sometimes “local” is interpreted rather widely). For tips on where to go and how to pick berries, see Rich Baringer’s post from last May, Pick-your-own-strawberries in Bucks. [...]
[...] http://www.buckscountytaste.com/2010/05/pick-your-own-strawberries-in-bucks/ [...]