Grab a container and a garden kneeling pad. The time is ripe to head out and pick some strawberries, arguably one of the sweetest tastes of summer, at one of the many local U-pick farms.
Thanks to warm temperatures, lots of sunshine and a good amount of rain, strawberry growers say the strawberry season in metro Detroit is arriving early.
On Tuesday, Whittaker’s Berry Farm in Ida opened for the season. Owner Marilyn Whittaker said last year, the U-pick opened on June 7.
It's the earliest opening since Whittaker started growing strawberries on her property 20 years ago. The earliest opening before this week, Whittaker recalled, was May 31.
While the season is just getting started, Whittaker said everything is looking "beautiful."
Need a break? Play the USA TODAY Daily Crossword Puzzle.
“There's a lot of beautiful fruit,” she said. It's early, but we had an ideal spring, perfect amount of rain and sun,” Whittaker said.
The rain, Whittaker said is what gives strawberries their size.
“When the berries are in bloom, they need at least an inch of rain a week … and we had (rain) at the right time.”
This year, Whittaker’s Berry Farm has 14 acres of strawberries for picking. Starting the season at Whittaker’s is the Honeyed strawberry variety. Whittaker describes the berry as a “beautiful deep red” ideal for jam and wine making as well as freezing.
In peak season and at their heaviest, a quart per foot is good picking … that’s the goal,” Whittaker said.
While the season is early, it’s still usually an 18-to-20-day season.
"It's a different kind of farming,” Whittaker said. “The stars have to align perfectly for a successful season. You have 9 months of work that comes down to 18-20 days. You pray for the weather to go well with no hailstorm and the right people at the right time to pick.”
Farms north of downtown Detroit are also saying that the strawberry picking season is off to an early start.
Brent Christensen, Blake’s Family of farms manager with locations in Armada and Almont, in an email to the Free Press said this season’s strawberry crop is “looking to be one of our best ever.”
“We are seeing the earliest varieties coming into ripeness this week and will begin to pick for our stores by this weekend,” Christensen said.
With 35 acres of strawberries compared to last year’s 25 acres, its crop is also one of the biggest they’ve ever grown.
Christensen credits the early season to warm temperatures in April and May.
“One main reason the strawberry crop is looking great is there was next to no frost events in the early season,” Christensen said. “Typically, we lose 10-40% of the crop to frost, so this is a huge deal.”
With this good crop, Christensen said, Blake’s Farms expect good strawberry picking from the first week of June and throughout the month.
5 Tips for picking strawberries
- Before you head out to pick strawberries check with the farms on picking times, availability, and their rules for picking. Some farms will close picking for a day or two to allow more strawberries to ripen.
- Keep in mind prices vary and most strawberries are sold by the pound. Whittaker's Berry Farm and Rowe's Produce Farm are $3.24 a pound. Most places offer containers for free.
- To pick strawberries hold the stems about 1-inch above the green cap between your fingers. Gently twist the strawberry off the plant, letting it fall into your palm. Leave the green cap intact.
- Store strawberries in the refrigerator and wash just before using.
- When you're out picking strawberries, be sure to pick lots. Strawberries are ideal for freezing. Place them on a tray and flash freeze until just frozen. Store in a freezer bag. You can use frozen strawberries to make jam or smoothies any time of the year. Frozen strawberries will typically have that same great flavor.
Here's a sampling of where to pick strawberries in southeastern Michigan:
- Blake's Backyard, 5590 Van Dyke, Almont. 810-798-3251 or blakefarms.com.
- Blake's Big Apple Orchard, 71485 North Ave., Armada. 586-784-9710 or blakefarms.com/bigapple.
- Blake's Orchard & Cider Mill, 17985 Armada Center Road, Armada. 586-784-5343 or blakefarms.com/orchardcidermill.
- Diederich's Strawberry Farm, 3537 Morrice Road, Webberville. 517-521-4667.
- Middleton Berry Farm, 4790 Oakwood, Ortonville. 248-831-1004 or middletonberryfarm.com.
- Rowe's Produce Farm, 10570 Martz, Ypsilanti. 734-482-8538 or rowesproducefarm.com.
- Slow Farm, 4700 Whitmore Lake Road, Ann Arbor. This farm, according to its website, has organic strawberries and is a few miles north of downtown Ann Arbor. For information slowfarmorganic.com or email slowfarmorganic@gmail.com.
- Spicer Orchards, 10411 Clyde, Fenton. 810-632-7692 or spicerorchards.com.
- Verellen Orchards & Cider Mill, 63260 Van Dyke, Washington Township. 586-752-2989 or verellenorchards.com.
- Westview Orchards, 65075 Van Dyke, Washington. 586-752-3123 or westvieworchards.com.
- Whittaker's Berry Farm, 6724 Todd, Ida. 734-269-6612 or whittakersberryfarm.com.
Contact Detroit Free Press food and restaurant writer Susan Selasky and send food and restaurant news to:sselasky@freepress.com. Follow @SusanMariecooks on Twitter.Subscribe to the Free Press.
