NORTH ANDOVER — Mark and Susan Wilson sifted through 3 acres of strawberries at Boston Hill Farm Tuesday, quickly filling their baskets with the sweet red fruit as their 4-month-old son, John, watched from his baby seat.
"We love strawberries, and they look good," said Susan Wilson, a first-time picker. "It's nice to be outside, and it won't take long. We'll be home in time to feed the baby."
The local strawberry crop has arrived on schedule, and it's good news for lovers of the succulent berries.
Ben Farnum Jr., who operates Boston Hill Farm on Route 114, said the warm weather, mixed with just enough rain, has produced a fantastic crop of berries this year.
"They are coming in perfectly," Farnum said.
Strawberry season runs for about three weeks, ending around July 4, local farmers said.
"It's a very, very good crop," said Diane Barker Coco, who runs the family-owned Barker's Farm in North Andover. "It's a short season, so people should take advantage of the native ones while they are here."
Prices at the farms range from $1.75 to $2.50 per pound for pick-your-own. Harvested strawberries run $3 a pint and $5.25 a quart. The price is slightly higher than last year due to the economy, growers said.
"They are not that easy to grow; there's lots of labor involved," Farnum said.
Smolak Farms, also in North Andover, has opened 2 and 1/2 acres to allow visitors to pick their own berries.
"You know where your food is coming from, and the strawberries couldn't be any better," said owner Michael Smolak.
On Saturday and Sunday, Smolak Farms will host a strawberry festival from 8 a.m. to 5:30 p.m. There will be activities for children, music and, of course, strawberry shortcake.
Rogers Spring Hill Farm in Haverhill also lets people flock to the fields to get their fill of strawberries.
"It's more now for the experience with the children," said Barbara Rogers, whose father owns the farm. "The days of picking a lot are over. But people get enough to make shortcake. They come more for the experience."
Last year, strawberries and other crops were soaked from the heavy rain in May and June, and then the hot sun caused the fruit to rot quickly.
This year, which started with a mild winter and then a warm spring, there are fresh red strawberries ready to be sold all over the Merrimack Valley.
"The wild card is the weather," Smolak said. "Now, we've had relatively ideal conditions. There's a lot of diligence and monitoring involved, and so far our crop looks great."
Growers also have high hopes for a strong crop of blueberries, cherries and blackberries, which will peak in July.
"Raspberries are our specialty," said Barker Coco, who sells the crop to Benson's Ice Cream in Boxford to make their raspberry ice cream. "The berries are sweet and delicious."
Statewide, there are 155 farms that grow strawberries. Last year, Massachusetts farmers produced more than 1.6 million pounds of strawberries for $3.3 million in sales.
Merrimack Valley
Sweet time for strawberry lovers
- Merrimack Valley
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Health violations issued for historic Osgood Street property
Andover officials have issued numerous health-law citations against Susan Odle, owner of this historic pre-Revolutionary property at 116 Osgood St., over the piles of full trash bags piling up around the property.
ANDOVER — A broken-down mini-van filled with clutter, beat-up furniture and weathered toys are scattered across the historic Osgood Farm property.
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Neighbors have said the unsightly materials have been piling up in the yard and inside the home at 116 Osgood St. for years. But the latest addition — hundreds of full trash bags in the front yard — has become a cause for concern for many of them. -
Still moving in the same comfortable rhythm
Editor's Note: In the spirit of Valentine's Day, The Eagle-Tribune asked readers to tell us stories about their lasting relationships — how they worked through the challenges over the years and kept their love healthy and alive. The series continues through tomorrow, highlighting compelling stories of Love's Enduring Promise.
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Sending the kids away: Strikers' children went to safety in Vermont
When Salvatore Savinelli was just 4 years old, he hopped on a train bound for Barre, Vt., with 35 other children and his father as the group made its way out of the city in the midst of one of the biggest strikes in U.S. history.
Continued ... - Vermont town proud of its role
- State officials asked to investigate Adams
- Love's Enduring Promise: By Peggy's side
- Despite new law, local towns say no to GIC
- Mass. schools suspend thousands under 'zero-tolerance'
- Don't print that
- Pets of the week
- Community calendar
- Saturday, February 11, 2012
- Early morning, two-alarm fire on High Street, Haverhill drives family out of house
- Back on the home front
- Marine gets big welcome
- Gym damage forces shift of voting site
- Five candidates to run for Andover's top board
- Burglars hit fire damaged home
- Church celebrates renovations, anniversary
- Couple caught stealing $889 in groceries
- Man charged with hat theft
- Man arrested after chase
- Friday, February 10, 2012
- Spanish class exchange lets LHS, Phillips Academy students discover common interests
- Write your own success stories, students told
- State of city deadline missed again
- Retiring moderator's advice: 'Stay out of arguments'
- Man facing child porn charges said that he attended Merrimack
- Lantigua fails to file campaign finance reports
- Methuen, Lawrence Democrats to elect state convention delegates
- Councilor withdraws customer service crackdown
- Moran planning a run for 17th Essex Representative
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