It’s almost the best time of the year—strawberry season! Imagine picking your own strawberries and getting a taste of the mouthwatering fruit at the height of its flavor. Weaver’s Orchard is your pick-your-own fruit headquarters, where you can get your fill of the sweet red berry. Strawberries should be ready for picking by the end of May, depending on weather conditions. Meanwhile, Weaver’s homegrown strawberries, grown in high tunnels, are available in their farm market while supplies last.
Picking your own fruit is a great family activity. The kids will love getting outside, seeing where food comes from and tasting delicious strawberries. How can you tell which strawberries are ready for picking? Weaver’s has some easy guidelines to follow to ensure you get the cream of the crop:
- Avoid pale red strawberries and berries with green tips. Strawberries will not ripen after you pick them!
- Pick all the ripe berries, big and small. Smaller berries are often sweeter.
- When picking, be sure the cap, or green leafy top, remains on the strawberry by pinching the stem of the berry between your thumb and forefinger.
Wondering what to do with all of those berries once they’ve been picked? Weaver’s has some easy and delicious recipes that will make you forget that strawberries are good for you. One that is simple to prepare with the kids and that they will ask for again and again is this recipe for 15-Minute Strawberry Frozen Yogurt:
15-Minute Strawberry Frozen Yogurt
Ingredients
- 4 cups frozen strawberries, slightly thawed
- Juice of ¼ lime
- 5.3-oz. container nonfat Greek yogurt (about ⅔ cup)
- Honey to taste, if desired
Method
- Working with slightly thawed berries that are easier to blend, process the 4 cups of frozen strawberries, working in batches if necessary, until strawberries are well chopped and smooth.
- Add yogurt, lime juice and, if desired, honey.
- Whip for at least 2 minutes in the blender.
- If desired, freeze right away. You’ll need to thaw the frozen yogurt for several minutes before it’s scoopable.
Taste of Weaver’s Event
If you are looking for a fun family day out, head to Weaver’s Orchard on Saturday, June 3, from 10 a.m.–3 p.m. for the Taste of Weaver’s sampling event. Hit the fields as early as 7 a.m. for strawberry picking and then visit with the many local vendors who will be on-site under tents offering samples of their products. Scheduled vendors include:
- All Seasons Salads
- Bella Pizzelle
- Burnt Cabins Grist Mill
- Cave Bird Coffee
- Cortazzo Foods
- Danika’s
- Dietz & Watson
- Esh Foods
- Gardner Pie
- Green Kamikozees
- Heagy Foods
- King Orchards
- Kreider Farms
- Lancaster Hummus Co.
- Luhv Foods
- Pure Wild Teas
- Shawnee Canning Co.
- Sheila’s Crunchy Delight
- Simply Ghee
- Stockin’s Apiaries
- Taluttos
- Troyer Cheese Company
- Twin Valley Coffee
- Village Eatinghouse
After getting your fill of tasty food outside, weave your way into the farm market for even more samples, free sandwiches and giveaways, too!
Summer Orchard Explorers
When the day is over, your kids will probably want to learn even more about where their food originates. This summer, Weaver’s is offering a new Summer Orchard Explorers program that will teach children about food’s journey from field to fork.
Educator Brandon Hertzler will connect children to the wonders of farming through games, stories and hands-on learning. The workshops are geared toward children ages 7–10. Topics will include soil, planting, irrigation, pruning, harvesting and more.
The Summer Orchard Explorers program will meet Tuesdays from 9–11:30 a.m. from June 13—August 15. The program does require an adult chaperone with each child. The cost to attend is $30 per child and chaperone. Pre-register for a savings of $5 per class. Better yet, register for the whole nine-week series and pay just $200.
Ready to get a taste of the orchard? For more information about picking your own fruit, Summer Orchard Explorers or the Taste of Weaver’s event, visit Weaver’s Orchard online.
Find Weaver’s Orchard at 40 Fruit Ln., Morgantown; phone: (610) 856-7300.
- Photos: Weaver's Orchard
