Fat, red, juicy strawberries ”“ a summer favorite ”“ are ripe for the picking in York County.
Strawberry season is in full swing, and luckily for berry fans, the picking this year is good.
“We’re right in the middle of the best of it. It’s really good picking at the moment, and we still have more to come,” said Anna Spiller, who farms four acres of strawberries at Spiller Farm in Wells with her husband, Bill.
The folks at Spiller Farm are enjoying a healthy crop, something even last week’s rainy spell couldn’t ruin.
“Usually they turn to mush, but they didn’t this year. When it rained, it must have cleared just enough to get the moisture off the berries,” said Spiller. “Customers didn’t come to pick in the rain, of course, but we didn’t lose too many of the berries.”
Spiller’s U-Pick has been open since June 18, and this year’s strong crop means that the season is looking to extend into the next couple of weeks.
At Dole’s Orchard in Limington, farmer Earl Bunting, who maintains three and a half acres of strawberries, is seeing a fair crop this season as well.
“It’s been very good. Last week’s rain put us behind a bit, but overall it’s been a good crop,” he said.
Berry enthusiasts can pick at Dole’s everyday, he said, and the season is looking to stretch on for another couple of weeks there also.
As with many outdoor activities, weather conditions dictate what hours the farm will hold for visitors to come and pick their own berries.
“The best way to find out what our hours are going to be on a given day is to call us,” said Spiller.
Despite their juicy goodness, Spiller said she knows that people aren’t coming to pick just to get some sweet treats ”“ they’re also re-living some sweet memories.
“We have some old-timers, people who are in their 90s coming who have picked every year. People come with their siblings because they came when they were kids. It’s a family thing,” said Spiller.
Also open for the season is Lavigne’s Strawberry Farm, 158 Whitchers Mill Road in Sanford, which has 12 acres of pick-your-own strawberries.
— Paige Allen is an intern with the Journal Tribune, a graduate of Old Orchard Beach High School and a student at Stonehill College.
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