All Over Albany

Pick your own strawberry season 2016

Strawberry season is here! Many local farms are just opening for pick-your-own strawberries, or will be very shortly.

We get the sense this year's crop is maybe a little slow in arriving because of some of the cool weather. And the early warmth in spring further complicated things.

A typical strawberry season at many farms in this area only lasts a few weeks, though some farms have strawberries for longer stretches -- even most of the summer -- because their fields include a range of varieties that produce at different times. When you're at the farm stand, ask about the varieties the farms are growing. In our experience people are happy to talk about what's available, for how long, and why. (It's also a good idea to call ahead or check the website before heading out.)

Here are a handful of places in the greater Capital Region that you can pick your own strawberries. Know of a good place not on this list? Please share!

Important: You should call ahead the day you're heading out to get the conditions.

Albany County

Altamont Orchards
6654 Dunnsville Road Altamont, NY 12009 (map)
(518) 861-6515
Monday-Sunday 8 am-3 pm
Pick your own starts June 10. PYO strawberries are $2.49/pound. Bring your own container.

"The season is short, 3 weeks normally. ... The Picking should be good. This situation may change depending on number of customers picking."

Indian Ladder Farms
342 Altamont Rd, Altamont, NY (map)
(518) 765-2956
Wednesday-Friday 9 am-1 pm | Saturday and Sunday 9-4 pm
Pick your own has started June 4, according to Indian Ladder's FB page. PYO strawberries are $2.50 per pound.

The PYO hotline message said there will probably be a light crop this season because of conditions this spring, and it recommends showing up early on picking days (and calling ahead to make sure there are berries).

Columbia County

Samascott Orchards
5 Sunset Ave, Kinderhook, NY (map)
(518) 758-7224
Pick your own starts June 13.
Monday-Sunday 8 am-6 pm
PYO strawberries start June 11. They're $2 per pound. Four-quart containers are 75 cents. (Or you can bring your own containers.) There's a $5/person minimum.

Samascott has multiple strawberry fields with multiple varieties, and in our experience, the season extends a little longer here. (There's rhubarb and peas available for PYO.)

Thompson-Finch Farm
750 Wiltsie Bridge Rd, Ancram, NY (map)
(518) 329-7578
Monday-Sunday 8 am-5 pm
Pick your own started June 7 and will continue until about July 4. (We didn't get price info this year, but PYO strawberries were $3.75 per pound last year.)

Thompson-Finch is a certified organic farm. From the website: "We update our messages daily and if we are getting picked out during the day we will put a post advising you to wait till another day. Please always check our before getting in your car! "

Rensselaer County

The Berry Patch
15589 NY 22, Stephentown, NY (map)
(518) 733-1234
The farm anticipates it could have strawberries around June 10, according to its FB page.

Best Berry Farm
1078 Best Road, East Greenbush, NY (map)
(518) 286-0607
The cool weather slowed things down a bit, and the farm anticipates picking will start sometime between June 10 and June 15, according to its FB page. Strawberries will be $2.25 per pound.

Engelke Farm
1463 Garfield Rd, Brunswick, NY 12180 (map)
(518) 478-4939
PYO straweberries are still another 2-3 weeks away. Keep an eye on the farm's website and FB page.

The Farm At Kristy's Barn
2385 Brookview Rd. Schodack, NY. 12033 (map)
(518) 477-6250
Monday-Friday 9 am-7 pm, Saturday 9 am-6 pm, Sunday 10 am-5 pm
PYO strawberries start June 10.

Swartz Farm
1581 Eleanor Drive, Castleton, NY (map)
(518) 858-1174
The last update to the farm's FB page on June 1 indicated it would still be a little while until strawberries are ready. (It includes some interesting details about how the warm winter with little snow affected the plant.)

Saratoga County

Ariel's Farm
194 Northern Pines Road, Wilton, NY 12831 (map)
(518) 584-2189
Open 9 am-6 pm.
PYO strawberry season has started, according to answering machine. Also have vegetables available for sale.

Bowman Orchards
141 Sugar Hill Rd, Rexford, NY (map)
(518) 371-2042
Monday-Saturday 9 am-5 pm and Sunday 12-5 pm
Pick your own started June 8, according the farm's FB page. PYO strawberries are $3.29 per pound and there's a $2 per person entrance fee.

Schenectady County

Buhrmaster Farm
180 Saratoga Road Route 50, Glenville, NY (map)
(518) 399-5931
Monday-Friday 9 am-6:30 pm and Saturday/Sunday 9 am-6 pm
PYO opened June 9, according the farm's FB page. They're $4 per quart (six or more quarts are $3.50 each).
PYO is at the corner of Swaggertown Road and Worden Road.

Greene County

We added Greene County this year after a request from last year. If there are other farms from Greene we should include, please mention them in the comments.

Story Farms
4640 Route 32, Catskill, NY 12414 (map)
Monday-Sunday 9 am-5 pm
PYO strawberries started June 4. They're $2 per pound.

Schoharie County

Bohringer's Fruit Farm
3992 State Route 30, Middleburgh, NY (map)
(518) 827-5783
Every day 8 am-6 pm
The farm is planning start PYO strawberries June 13, according to its FB page. They'll be $3.25 per quart. They stand already has picked strawberries -- they're $5 per quart.

Washington County

Hand Melon Farm
533 Wilbur Avenue, Greenwich, NY -- between Schuylerville and Greenwich (map)
(518) 692-2376
Monday-Friday 8 am-6 pm, Saturday-Sunday 8 am-5 pm
Pick your own starts June 10. PYO strawberries are $2.75 per pound.

"Please remember picking will be limited at first with best picking the weekends of the 18th & 25th."