Strawberry growers in Eastern North Carolina are beginning to harvest this year’s crop, and growers in the rest of the state expect to begin in the next few weeks.
North Carolina is the third-largest producer of strawberries in the nation, with about 1,200 acres harvested state-wide.
The NC Strawberry Association and the NC Department of Agriculture and Consumer Services are holding strawberry-related events in May:
- On Thursday, May 3, 2018, an event at the State Farmers Market, 1201 Agriculture Street, Raleigh NC, will include a strawberry recipe contest, ice cream samples, and a visit by “Suzy Strawberry”.
- On May 4, 2018, the Robert G. Shaw Piedmont Triad Farmers Market, 2914 Sandy Ridge Road, Colfax NC, will include a recipe contest, ice cream samples, and a visit by Suzy Strawberry.
- On May 11, 2018, the Charlotte Regional Farmers Market, 1801 Yorkmont Road, Charlotte NC, will offer free strawberry ice cream samples.
Pick-your-own fields will be busy from now through Memorial Day weekend. For those interested in pick-your-own strawberries — a chance to harvest locally-grown goodness to take home — a list of farms may be found at www.ncfarmfresh.com/farms.asp.
For those in Franklin County, note that Vollmer Farm, a well-known destination for pick-your-own organic strawberries, will be closed for strawberry season 2018. The farmers are busy with construction of their pay-what-you-can restaurant, Rustic Roots, coming soon to Vollmer Farm. See their 2018 video on the farm website.
Source: Dexter Hill, NCDA&CS