Strawberry Picking on Long Island

If the beginning of summer on Long Island had a flavor, it would probably taste like strawberries. As June rolls around, signs on every main road on the East End point in the direction of U-Pick strawberries. It’s a quintessential mark of the season and a patiently-awaited tradition for many. Simply put, strawberry picking on Long Island is an annual must-do!

Each year, families and strawberry fans visit Long Island’s U-Pick strawberry fields in droves, eager to get their hands on the freshest, juiciest berries of the lot, and experience the distinct sweetness of just-harvested strawberries while they are at their peak. Depending on the weather, the short-lived season only lasts from late May through early July at the latest.

Like many locals, strawberry picking on Long Island has become a tradition for me. At the height of the season, Lewin Farms is an especially popular spot; from the street you can spot dozens of people lined up at the farm stand with armfuls of U-Pick strawberries surely destined for jam, pies, ice cream and cereal bowls.

Last year I took a ride out to call dibs on the first available strawberries of the season at Glover Farms in Brookhaven. Watch the video below to get a peek at my visit to the strawberry fields.

When the supply is fleeting and the reward is so delicious, people are willing to put in the work for strawberries. I’ll admit, it’s hard to stop.  I always find myself traveling farther and farther down the rows of  bushes in search of the biggest, brightest berries I could get my hands on. And when they no longer fit in my pint, I just start eating them straight off the vine.

Bright red throughout and still warm from the sun, freshly picked strawberries taste as it they have already been marinating in sugar syrup for days. There’s nothing that compares. It’s almost like eating a totally different fruit from what you would find in the grocery store.

When something tastes so good naturally, it’s best to enjoy it simply. That’s Eve Kaplan-Walbrecht’s theory, farmer at Garden of Eve Organic Farm & Market in Riverhead, which offers strawberry picking. After you go strawberry picking on Long Island at Garden of Eve or any of the U-Pick fields below, you can enjoy her recipe for fresh strawberries with cream when you get home.

Fresh Strawberries with Cream
Recipe provided by Eve Kaplan-Walbrecht of Garden of Eve Organic Farm & Market

• Wash and hull strawberries (remove tops), cut into quarters lengthwise. Toss with a sprinkle of granulated sugar.
• Mix approximately one cup whole cream (ideally from grassfed cows) with a teaspoon of vanilla extract and 1 teaspoon sugar.
• Whip till stiff and spoon over strawberries. Delicious!
• Eat plain, with shortbread if available, or with any fluffy vanilla flavor cake or cookie.

Strawberry picking on Long Island: U-pick strawberry farms

Anderson Farm Stand
1170 Route 58, Riverhead, NY
631-727-2559

Condzella’s Farm Stand
6233 North Country Road, Wading River, NY
631-929-4697

Garden of Eve Organic Farm
4558 Sound Avenue, Riverhead, NY
631-722-8777

Golden Earth Worm Organic Farm
652 Peconic Bay Boulevard, Riverhead, NY
631-722-3302

Glover Farms
633 Victory Avenue, Brookhaven, NY
631- 286-7876

Hank’s Farm Stand
324 County Road 39, Southampton, NY
631-726-4667

Hodun Farms
4070 Middle Country Road, Calverton, NY
631-369-3533

Lewin Farms
812 Sound Avenue, Wading River, NY
631-929-4327

May’s Farm Stand
6361 Route 25A, Wading River, NY
631-929-6654

Patty’s Berries & Bunches
410 Sound Avenue, Mattituck, NY
631-298-4679

Ringhoff Farms
62 Bellview Avenue, Center Moriches, NY
631-909-3439

Rottkamp’s Fox Hollow Farm
2287 Sound Avenue, Calverton, NY
631-727-1786

Wickham’s Fruit Farm
28700 Main Road, Cutchogue, NY
631-734-6441

Windy Acres
3810 Middle Country Road, Calverton, NY
631-727-4554

Strawberry picking tips

Strawberries with green or white coloring do not yield as much flavor and will not continue to ripen after they are picked, so look for the biggest, reddest, juiciest ones that you can find and use them as soon as possible.

Always call the farm beforehand to make sure that their U-Pick field is ready and open when you are planning to go. On weekends when it is crowded, they will sometimes limit supply.

Also check the farm’s website for field rules; some require you to bring your own container, while others only allow you to use the ones that they provide. They generally charge by the pint or the pound.

Strawberry picking on Long Island is only available for about a month, so go out and get them while you can! Not only is it a great way to support local farms and gain a closer connection to the food we eat, it can also be a fun lesson for children.

Strawberry festivals on Long Island, 2018

Nassau Country Strawberry Festival, May 31-June 3

Stop by the Strawberry Festival in Bellmore the first weekend of June for crafts, food and fun.

Garden of Eve Strawberry Festival, June 3

Admission ($5) includes hayride, kids play area and access to the u-pick organic strawberry patch. Visit website for more information and to register in advance.

Benner’s Farm Strawberry Fair, June 9-10

Guests are invited to the East Setauket farm to take a step back in time with old-time tunes and old-fashioned games such as sack races, spoon races and funny face competitions, all while enjoying strawberry treats!

Mattituck Lions 63nd Strawberry Festival,  June 14-17
The go-to strawberry festival on Long Island, the Mattituck festival offers carnival rides, arts and crafts fair, live bands and plenty of strawberry goodies including strawberry shortcakes, pies, chocolate-dipped strawberries and non-alcoholic strawberry daiquiris. The night ends with fireworks Thursday, Friday and Saturday. On Thursday night, also known as “Hulling Night,” guests are welcome to volunteer and be a part of the tradition of preparing the strawberries for the following days.

FIND AND BOOK HOTELS ON LONG ISLAND’S EAST END

What’s your favorite place to go strawberry picking on Long Island? Let us know in the comments!

This post was originally published in 2016 and has been updated.