One of my favorite things to do with my kids every spring is making homemade strawberry jam. We use an old fashion hand crank & funnel and have the best time sampling the strawberries as they are mashed up. We use strawberries grown right in our backyard & strawberries we pick at a bunch of different orchards & farms in our area. It's always a good time and fun finding the biggest, juiciest berries in the fields.
Here are some of our favorite tips & tricks to picking great berries & having fun:
- Many farms & orchards give you a bucket to pick berries into - we usually bring cheap beach buckets with handles for each kid & combine into the big container at the end so kids don't have to pick right on top of each other & can spread out a bit
- Wear old clothes & shoes, the berries are all still attached to the plants in a dirt field so it could be a tad muddy, or they could fall walking over the rows of plants
- Pull the berries from stem, pulling on just the berry could rip the entire plant out of the ground or rip the berry
- Once home, do not rinse your berries until you're ready to use them - then use cool water to get the dirt & any leaves off
- Store berries in a shallow container in the fridge, 9x13 pans work great if you have a big haul
- Strawberries will not ripen more once picked so stay away from berries that aren't fully ripe
- Don't forget sunscreen & water for everyone in your group
- Go early - the later in the day you are the more likely it is that other pickers have already picked the biggest & best strawberries available for the day
- All of the locations listed here have a farm stand that offers baked goods, fresh produce & more. Stop on by for a cookie, ice cream or sweet treat as a reward for all of your hard work :)
- Have fun!
As the Pick Your Own season continues, please call ahead to ensure the season is still open at each location. I do my best to update this list as each season closes, but sometimes fields will close for a day or two due to rain, or lack of ready berries so call ahead to ensure the berries are ready for you.
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Paulus Farm Market - 1216 S. York St, Mechanicsburg
- PYO Strawberry patch opens May 29 - $10 for a 4 quart container (provided by the farm) and includes admission to enjoy the farm park.
- Monday-Friday: 8:30a-12:30p // Saturday 8:30a-5p // closed for picking on Sunday
- (717) 697-4330
Oak Grove Farms, Inc - 846 Fisher Road, Mechanicsburg
- PYO Strawberries opens May 30 - $10 for a 4 quart container (provided by the farm)
- PYO sugar snap, pea pods & raspberries offered as well
- Monday-Friday: 7a-6p // Saturday 7a-2p // closed for picking on Sunday
- (717) 766-2216
Strites' Ochard Farm Market and Bakery - 1000 Strites Rd, Harrisburg
- PYO Strawberries open Memorial Day weekend - $2.19/lb
- Saturday 8a-3p // Sunday 11a-3p
- (717) 564-3130
Paulus Orchard - 522 East Mt. Airy Rd, Dillsburg
- PYO Strawberries open Memorial Day weekend - $1.75/lb (containers for picking provided)
- PYO blueberries & blackberries (early July - Aug), PYO
- Monday - Saturday: 8:30a-12:30p & 3:30p-6:30p // closed for picking on Sunday
- (717) 432-2544
Click here to find PYO Strawberry locations in Lebanon County, thanks to Lebanon Macaroni Kid.
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