When local strawberries are ripe, it’s a good thing.
“Strawberries are a fun crop,” says Russ Shlagel, a farmer in Charles County who has grown strawberries for more than 25 years. “They taste good, they’re easy to pick. After being cooped up for the winter, it’s something fun to do.”
Besides having the freshest sweet fruit at your fingertips, it also means summer is around the corner.
No matter how cold the winter is or what the groundhog reportedly saw back on Feb. 2, every springs brings anticipation for strawberry picking.
Shlagel said calls start coming in about when strawberries will be ready to pick “with the first warm day in March” and he tells them every year they have to wait a little longer.
Pegged at mid-May for most farms on the Mid-Shore, many several area farms open their fields to customers to pick their own.
For many, strawberry picking conjures up memories of their childhoods, wading through the patch with a grandparent and abiding some version the “one for the basket, one for me to eat” picking strategy.
Others may be getting into the patch for the first time and are creating their own new traditions with little ones.
Either way, following some basic etiquette rules will help make it an enjoyable experience for you, your fellow pickers and the folks who grew the berries.
• Call ahead or check the farm’s social media before you leave home to confirm they are allowing “u-pickers” and you’ll have enough time to get all the berries you want.
• Leave pets at home. Even on a leash, most farms will refuse to let a pet in the picking area due to food safety requirements, so unless it’s explicitly stated to be OK, two legged pickers only.
• Bring the kids, but keep them busy. Young children running amok in the berry patch won’t win you any friends at the farm. If you fear they may tire of picking berries, consider one of the many farms that are available in the farm’s play area.
• Pick only ripe berries. The green and pink ones need more time on the plant and won’t ripen any more once you pick them. Pick them red and use them fast!
• Limit your grazing. While tasting one or two berries will likely be overlooked, repeatedly packing your cheeks full is a good way to get asked to leave. Just remember, you came to pick, not to picnic.
• Give your fellow pickers plenty of space. In some places, social distancing was in place well before the pandemic and the strawberry patch was one of them. Some farms may designate you to a row or section of the patch but if not, pick in an area where there are less people than more. It’ll be easier to fill your basket if you’re not competing with other pickers.