In a recent segment of WJAR TV 10’s Studio 10 program, I recommended some local places to pick your own berries this summer. I will post a link to the interview in a couple of days, but here are some of the places I mentioned in the segment. But hurry, strawberry season is short-lived and as soon as the summer heat sets in, it will be over! Click on the link above to watch the segment.)
Strawberries
Spring Rain Farm/Old Earth Orchards: 692 Caswell St, East Taunton, MA 02718 https://oldearthorchards.com/spring-rain-farm/
Strawberries are not my favorite crop to pick, as with my advancing age, I find stooping and kneeling to find the ripest berries under all the foliage a bit taxing, but for those of you younger at heart or with better knees, this place offers a quiet space for picking some of the best strawberries I’ve tasted in a long time.
Sweet Berry Farm: 915 Mitchell’s Lane, Middletown, RI 02842 https://www.sweetberryfarmri.com/
Located on Aquidneck Island close to Newport, this beautiful farm offers blueberries, raspberries, blackberries, and peaches in addition to strawberries.
Blueberries
A much easier crop to pick, blueberries typically become available in early July, depending on the weather. Bushes are at eye level, and berries are easy to pluck without the labor required for strawberries.
Ward’s Berry Farm: 614 S Main St, Sharon, MA 02067 https://wardsberryfarm.com/
Wards offers strawberries and raspberries too, but their main crop seems to be blueberries and the last time I visited, berries were hanging off the branches like grapes. Wards also features an excellent store that features all sorts of delicious gourmet items and offers sandwiches and smoothies.
Rocky Point Blueberry Farm: 130 Rocky Point Ave, Warwick, RI 02889 https://www.rockypointblueberries.com/
Right in Providence’s own back yard, Rocky Point features rows and rows of berry bushes and a picnic area to recharge after a productive day of picking.
Raspberries
Like blueberries, raspberries grow on tall bushes and offer a very easy picking experience. Sometimes there may be some thorns or bees, but they are usually pretty easy to avoid. While I have always liked raspberries, the store-bought kind (like most fruit) are no comparison to those fresh from the farm, and these little red gems have now become my favorite summer fruit.
Nourse Farm: 80 Jasper St, Westborough, MA 01581 https://www.noursefarm.com/
While most of the places I’ve already mentioned offer raspberries, Nourse Farm takes them to a whole different level. About an hour northwest of Providence, the fam makes a nice afternoon outing and hosts a food truck, a small farm store (don’t miss the heirloom tomato salsa they sell!), and picnic tables. Do call before you make the trip to make sure there are favorable picking conditions. Nourse offers strawberries and blueberries too, but they have multiple varieties of raspberries that produce fruit from July into late September. They also have some of the most reasonable prices of any berry farm I have visited, so this is the place to stock up!
What to do with those berries…
Some people like to make jam, but the quality of these hand-picked berries is so good it almost seems like a waste to me. I love fresh berries on my morning cereal or with some ice cream as a refreshing dessert. I also make homemade shortcake, and though strawberry shortcake is a well-known confection, raspberry shortcake is a wonderful alternative! Don’t knock it till you try it!
Most berries freeze very well, though when you defrost them, they will lose their texture and produce a lot more juice, requiring some adjustment to thickening agents for pie recipes. I typically freeze berries in separate containers holding approximately 4-5 cups so I can defrost just enough to make a cobbler or a pie during the winter months. And defrosted berries, when mashed up with a bit of sugar still make excellent shortcake or ice cream toppings. Enjoy and happy picking!
MATT: AT HOME IN THE WORLD 