Michigan strawberry season is here: Tips, where to find U-pick farms

Detroit Free Press

Hungry for great pies, delicious jams and shortcakes? Get ready to head to a local strawberry patch in Michigan.

The time is getting ripe to enjoy the popular fruit, known as a symbol of love with its alluring heart shape and brilliant red color.

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And you just can't resist the oh-so-sweet flavor of a local strawberry.

Strawberry season is getting underway at some southeastern Michigan strawberry farms. June's full moon — known as the "strawberry moon" that appeared last week — is often referred to as a signal of the start of strawberry season.

A popular first day of strawberry picking Whittaker's Berry Farm in Ida on Wednesday, June 7, 2023, had cars lined up to weigh and pay for the freshly picked strawberries.
The Whittaker's berry farm opened in 2006 and they have 14 acres of fields for people to pick on.

Where to pick strawberries in southeast Michigan

If you're not familiar with strawberry farms in southeastern Michigan, most are nearly an hour or more outside metro Detroit.

Some farms will soon start picking strawberries and others are expecting to start in mid-June. At many farms, the strawberry season is slow to take off. A frost in April, a cold spring, and dry conditions due to lack of rain are to blame.

Whittaker's Strawberry Farm in Ida is about an hour south of Detroit. There Marilyn and Bill Whittaker's crop spans 14 acres and includes three varieties of strawberries. Honeoye is the first variety available when Whittaker’s opens for U-pick.

Wren Seals laughs while picking strawberries with her mother, Malorie Seals, on opening day at Whittaker’s Berry Farm in Ida on Wednesday, June 7, 2023. The Whittakers have 14 acres of strawberries to share with the community during their brief 18-21 day season.

"Plants are loaded up with berries and they look beautiful," Whittaker said. "People like the Honeoye for its deep red color and for making jam. They are also a delicious table berry with lots of flavor."

This year pick-your-own strawberries are $2.99 per pound. Containers are free. Once the season gets underway, Whittaker said they will offer pre-picked strawberries for $6 per quart.

After Honeoye, Jewell and Allstar strawberry varieties will follow.

A customer adds more strawberries to her flat during opening day for strawberry picking at Whittaker's Berry Farm in Ida on Wednesday, June 7, 2023.
The Whittaker's berry farm opened in 2006 and they have 14 acres of fields for people to pick strawberries on.

Any size berry, big and small, Whittaker said, is juicy.

"The juice content in our berries is unlike what you can buy in stores, there's no comparison," she said.

Be patient — some strawberries are not ready

In some areas, strawberries are late this year because of frost and may not be ready until late June.

Strawberry season at the three Macomb County locations of Blake's family of farms is expected to get underway soon.

"The strawberry crop is looking strong at all of our locations," farms manager Brent Christensen said.

Combined from all three farms, there are nearly 30 acres of strawberries.

Kylie Bailey loads 10-pound flats of strawberries into her car on opening day at Whittaker’s Berry Farm in Ida on Wednesday, June 7, 2023. The Whittakers have 14 acres of strawberries to share with the community during their brief 18-21 day season.

"Our farm team has worked diligently to protect the crop from frost damage and has been watering consistently through this dry hot weather to ensure big juicy berries with great flavor," Christensen added.

Once the season is underway, Blake's also will have already picked strawberries sold at on-site stores at each location.

Mark Girard at Rowe's Produce in Ypsilanti expects to be open for strawberry picking in about a week. Rowe's has nearly 25 acres of strawberries.

Girard said there was some frost in April, which can make the strawberries late. And the season has been dry, he said, there's not been enough rain.

Tips for picking strawberries

Before you head out to pick strawberries check with the farms on picking times, available, and their rules for picking. Some farms will close picking for a day or two to allow more strawberries to ripen. Keep in mind, the farther north, the later the strawberries will be ripe.

Parker Wyatt, 5, of Ida, left, helps her father, Kyle Wyatt, 30, carry a 10-pound flat of freshly picked strawberries to their car during opening day at Whittaker's Berry Farm in Ida on Wednesday, June 7, 2023. The Whittaker's berry farm opened in 2006 and they have 14 acres of fields for people to pick strawberries on.

And when you're out picking strawberries, be sure to pick lots. Strawberries are ideal for freezing and freeze beautifully. You can use frozen strawberries to make jam or smoothies any time of the year. Frozen strawberries will typically have that same great flavor.

Here's a sampling of where to pick strawberries in southeastern Michigan:

Blake's Backyard, 5590 Van Dyke, Almont. 810-798-3251 or blakefarms.com.
Blake's Big Apple Orchard, 71485 North Ave., Armada. 586-784-9710 or blakefarms.com/bigapple.
Blake's Orchard & Cider Mill, 17985 Armada Center Road, Armada. 586-784-5343 or blakefarms.com/orchardcidermill.
Diederich's Strawberry Farm, 3537 Morrice Road, Webberville. 517-521-4667.
Middleton Berry Farm, 4790 Oakwood, Ortonville. 248-831-1004 or middletonberryfarm.com.
Rowe's Produce Farm, 10570 Martz, Ypsilanti. 734-482-8538 or rowesproducefarm.com.
Slow Farm, 4700 Whitmore Lake Road, Ann Arbor. This farm, according to its website, has organic strawberries and is a few miles north of downtown Ann Arbor. slowfarmorganic.com or email slowfarmorganic@gmail.com.
Spicer Orchards, 10411 Clyde, Fenton. 810-632-7692 or spicerorchards.com.
Verellen Orchards & Cider Mill, 63260 Van Dyke, Washington Township. 586-752-2989 or verellenorchards.com.
Whittaker's Berry Farm, 6724 Todd, Ida. 734-269-6612 or whittakersberryfarm.com.

Contact Detroit Free Press food and restaurant writer Susan Selasky and send food and restaurant news to: sselasky@freepress.com. Follow @SusanMariecooks on Twitter. Subscribe to the Free Press.