In May, I like to play a game called How Many Friends I Can Feed Strawberry Desserts To. The prizes awarded inherently within the game are manifold: I get to experiment with baking, I get to feed people I love and I get to consume absolutely delicious, fresh, fruity treats. There are truly no losers.
Strawberries begin the cadence of ripening berries we can choose to follow through the warm season here in Southern Appalachia. To many, strawberries are known as the leader of the berries, the heart berry, the gift berry. I subscribe particularly fervently to the gift part and chose not to sell the berries we grow here on the farm. They exist entirely in a gift economy for me, finding their way onto neighbors’ porches and into the bellies of my guests—as previously described.
RAD Farmers Market. Photo by Lyric East
For many other local farmers, strawberries are an exciting, sweet crop to bring to market in springtime. The brilliant pinks and reds adorn market tables and prompt discussions of strawberry rhubarb pie and the lore of strawberry moons. Flying Cloud Farm in Fairview has been bringing fresh strawberries to farmers markets for more than 20 years. After all that time, I had to ask what their favorite way to enjoy the berries is. “Strawberry shortcake with drop biscuits and barley sweetened cream,” says Annie Louise Perkinson, farm co-owner.
If you have the time, a particularly sweet way to participate in strawberry season is to pick them yourself. If you don’t have a garden space at home, local u-pick farms offer the opportunity for visiting and harvesting berries straight from their fields. You simply pick and pay for exactly the quantity you want. Many farms offer additional opportunities, such as pick-your-own flowers or the chance to visit with farm animals.
The Ten Acre Garden in Haywood County is one such community-centered space offering u-pick opportunities across the season. With strawberries in May, blackberries in July, raspberries in August and various veggies and flowers all along the way, its gardens offer ongoing chances to get so close to the source of your food that you can touch it!
Now entering its third season offering u-pick strawberries, the farm has 16,000 plants in the ground. After trialing multiple varieties and growing techniques, they’ve got a clear plan for this year. “By far, my favorite variety of strawberry is Ruby June,” says farm co-owner Mark Davies. “It is a large berry that is so flavorful, dense and delicious. It is great for u-pick and eating immediately. We are no-spray and use no synthetic products on the farm. This is rare in the strawberry world.”
Photo by Lyric East
As they prepare for the season’s first harvests and visitors, Davies reflects on why they open their farm to the public. “Allowing people to come out and see how their food is grown connects them to their food,” he says. “Watching a little kid pick a berry and eating it is fantastic. I love hearing the visitors walk through the field with their littles and hear them scream ‘look at this one!’”
When asked what his favorite way to enjoy strawberries is, the obvious answer comes first. “Right off the plant is my favorite way,” Davies says, “when they are warm and juicy.” He also divulges a few creative ways to enjoy strawberries on the farm this season. “We make great farm-to-table pizzas and will have strawberries on the pizzas,” he says. “And this spring we are adding a soft serve machine and plan to add strawberries as toppings.”
With dozens of farmers markets across the region, and u-pick opportunities to match, will you join me in the game of strawberry enjoyment this May?
The Ten Acre Garden is open for u-pick strawberries beginning in May, with additional berries becoming available throughout the summer. More information and an event calendar can be found at TheTenAcreGarden.com. Strawberries are also abundant in May at area farmers markets. Explore the full list of markets in the region at ASAPConnections.org/find-local-food/farmers-markets.
