Strawberry picking in Mattituck. (Credit: Vera Chinese) As June begins, so does strawberry season. The berries are starting to ripen and some farm stands are already allowing customers pick their own juicy fruit. Some varieties are already ready ripe for the picking at Lewin Farms in Wading River, which has allowed visitors to pluck their own berries since the early 1960s. “We just opened the field Friday,” said farm stand manager Pam Lewin-Saviano. “We just planted a new field. The berries are beautiful.” Strawberry plants typically have a three-year lifespan, Lewin-Saviano said, so farmers are constantly rotating in new crops. Lewin currently has at least 10 different varieties on about 10 acres. Lewin might have been the first farm on the North Fork to open its fields to pickers, but today they are joined by many others. Check out a list of places to pick your own strawberries on the North Fork: Patty’s Berries and Bunches (starts June 10) 408 Sound Ave., Mattituck, (631) 298-4679 When can you go? U-Pick is open from 9 a.m. to 5:30 p.m. daily. The farmstand is open until 6 p.m. How much does it cost to pick your own? $5 per person and each person gets a quart to fill with strawberries. Lewin Farms 812 Sound Ave., Wading River, (631) 929-4327 When can you go? The farm is open Wednesday to Monday from 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. (Closed Tuesday). U-pick is not open every day so be sure to call first. How much does it cost to pick your own? $2.25 a pound Wickham’s Fruit Farm 28700 Main Road, Cutchogue, (631) 734-6441 When can you go? Monday through Saturday from 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. (closed Sunday). How much does it cost to pick your own? 2015 prices have not yet been set. The strawberries are expected to be available sometime in mid-June. Eve Kaplan-Walbrecht picks the year’s first strawberries at Garden of Eve Organic Farm and Market in Riverhead in the photo from 2014. U-pick strawberries are available at the Sound Ave. farm. (Credit: Vera Chinese) Garden of Eve Organic Farm and Market 4558 Sound Ave., Riverhead, (631) 722-8777 When can you go? This organic market is open daily from 9 a.m. to 6 p.m. How much does it cost to pick your own? $4.50 per pint of strawberries. Expect the U-pick fields to open this weekend. Golden Earthworm Organic Farm 62 Peconic Bay Boulevard, Riverhead, (631) 722-3302 Golden Earthworm will not open for U-pick strawberries in 2015. They hope to reopen the U-pick field next year. Windy Acres Farm 3810 Route 25, Calverton (631) 727-4554 When can you go? The farm is open weekends from 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. It’s best to call during the week to find out when it will be open. How much does it cost to pick your own? $5 for a quart, $15 for four quarts. A half pint is $2 for children under 5. Know of other great U-pick spots? Tell us in the comments section. … Read More
The post Where to pick your own strawberries on the North Fork appeared first on North Fork wine, food, lodging, leisure—life on Long Island's top fork: Northforker.com.