Northeast Ohio strawberry season has arrived early at more than one farm

Jun. 4—The pick-your-own strawberry season began May 31 this year at Patterson Fruit Farm in Chester Township. It's the earliest picking in more than a half-century. June 10 is the customary start date for picking.

"In 1970, we began opening our fields to those wanting to pick their own," said Kristin Patterson. "So this is our 54th year."

Almost everything that grows is coming in early this year, farmers and householders said.

This year's berries are nicely formed and very sweet, Patterson said.

"The yield is good and we expect to be picking until late June."

It's the 64th year for the Kirtland Strawberry Festival, which runs June 13 to 15 at Kirtland High School. Local farms don't produce enough to serve at that festival, so although strawberries are celebrated, they must be outsourced for the festival.

The succulent Northeast Ohio strawberries are quite unlike supermarket strawberries, which come from Florida and California and are bred to be sturdy for shipping and keep a week or more in produce sections.

Local berries are fragile and last only a few days.

"They should be picked early in the morning when it's cool and be handled carefully when being brought home," Patterson said.

If a cool place can be found at home, they should not be refrigerated and should be washed only when ready to be eaten.

They freeze well, however. After washing and plucking off the stem ends, dry the berries on a layer of paper towels and place them in a single layer on a cookie sheet. Put the sheet on a flat surface in the freezer compartment, and when the berries are frozen, pour them into a sealable plastic bag and return them to the freezer.

Today, Patterson shares a family recipe for Mile High Strawberry Pie that uses frozen strawberries.

"Before coming out to pick, people should call our hotline (, which is updated every day," Patterson said, referring to 440-729-9809.

Strawberry fields are closed when they're picked out so the fields can rest and subsequent berries can ripen. Picking begins at 8 a.m. and usually finishes by 2 p.m.

Strawberries also are picked for the family's farm market on Caves Road.

Farms to the north, closer to Lake Erie, have had experiences different from Patterson Fruit Farm.

West Orchards, 3034 N. Ridge Road (Route 20) in Perry, opens its farm market on June 6 but won't even offer pick-your-own strawberries this year. According to a voicemail message, it will be a short strawberry season this year.

Larry Klco's Rainbow Farms picked its earliest-ever strawberries this year, selling them from its farm market on May 27 and taking them to the Heart of Willoughby Outdoor Market on June 1. Klco will open for the pick-your-own crowd on June 8.

"It looks like the raspberries and blueberries will be earlier, too," Klco said. "It's been a crazy spring, and everything is early."

Warm days in April spurred early growth that formed berry blossoms, and then cold days at the end of the month killed those blossoms, he said.

Because of a labor shortage, Rainbow Farms has reduced the number of community markets where it will sell its produce this summer. The Willoughby market and North Union Farmers Market on Shaker Square in Cleveland, both on Saturdays, and the Painesville Farmers Market, on Thursdays, are making the cut, but the Mentor Farmers Market, on Fridays, is not, he said.

Farmer Larry Secor said Secor Nursery will be selling only strawberries this year. Once that season ends in July, he'll close for the summer.

"It's hard to get good help, and I can't do it all myself," he said. "It's time for me to spend summers playing golf.

"But this is the best strawberry crop I've ever had," he added.

He was at his winter home in Venice, Florida, when the April cold spell threatened his crop, but his staff stepped in to irrigate the 10 acres of strawberries to keep the blossoms from freezing.

Secor's strawberry fields are open seven days a week for those wishing to pick their own. Hours are 9 a.m. to 3:30 p.m.

Pick your spot

Here is where you can pick strawberries.

Patterson Fruit Farm: Chester Township — market at 11414 Caves Road (reserve pre-picked berries at 440-729-1964); pick your own berries at 8765 Mulberry Road (strawberry hotline is 440-729-9809); email [email protected].

Rainbow Farms: 2464 Townline Road, Perry Township; 440-259-4924.

Secor Nursery: 4940 N. Ridge Road, Perry Township; 440-259-3487.

Recipe

Mile High Strawberry Pie

Ingredients

For crust:

1/2 cup softened butter

1/4 cup brown sugar

1 cup flour

For filling:

2 cups sliced frozen strawberries

1/2 cup white sugar

1 tablespoon fresh lemon juice

1/8 teaspoon salt

2 egg whites

For whipped cream:

1 cup whipping cream

1/4 cup powdered sugar

1 teaspoon vanilla

Instructions

For crust:

Mix all crust ingredients together until crumbly.

Press into a spring form pan and bake at 350 degrees for 15 minutes.

Set aside to cool.

For filling:

Combine frozen strawberries, sugar, lemon juice, salt and egg whites in mixer bowl.

Beat for 20 minutes.

Set aside

Whipped Cream.

In a clean mixer bowl, combine whipping cream, powdered sugar and vanilla. Beat together until whipped, but not stiff.

Fold whipped mixture into the filling mixture.

Place the combined filling and whipped cream into the crust.

Cover the top with plastic wrap and place in the freezer. Let freeze for several hours or overnight.

Any leftovers should be stored in the freezer since it softens very fast.

— Courtesy of Kristin Patterson