All Over Albany

Pick-your-own strawberry season 2017

Strawberry season has arrived! Many local farms just opened pick-your-own strawberry fields this week, and others will be doing so shortly.

All that cold, cloudy, wet weather a few weeks back held up this year's crop. Multiple farms have noted that things are a bit behind schedule. But it sounds like the recent sunny weather has things rounding into shape.

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
Weekdays 8 am-noon, weekends 8 am-3 pm
Pick your own started June 12. PYO strawberries are $2.59/pound. Cash only. Bring your own container.

"Picking has just started, the berry size is good, supply is good. The peak week for picking should be June 21 to June 26th."

Indian Ladder Farms
Indian Ladder Farms no longer grows strawberries -- "they are just too hard to grow well" -- so, obviously, there are no PYO. Its Facebook page says it is planning to have PYO blueberries and raspberries later in the season.

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 16. They're $3 per pound (2.50 per pound if you pick more than 15 pounds.) Four-quart containers are 75 cents. Bring your own containers or buy them there. There's a $5 per person minimum.

Samascott has multiple strawberry fields with multiple varieties, and in our experience, the season extends a little longer here. (It also often has 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 10 and usually continues into early July. (We didn't get price info this year, but PYO strawberries were $3.75 per pound in previous years.)

Thompson-Finch is a certified organic farm. It posts daily updates on whether strawberries are available that day (they sometimes are picked out before the farm closes for the day). Check before heading out.

Rensselaer County

The Berry Patch
15589 NY 22, Stephentown, NY (map)
(518) 733-1234
PYO strawberries haven't started yet -- probably will be the weekend of June 24.

Best Berry Farm
1078 Best Road, East Greenbush, NY (map)
(518) 286-0607
PYO strawberries open June 15, according to its FB page. "The crop is very light this year so the ripe berries will be very scattered. If you're looking for a large quantity of berries, hopefully towards the end of next week they will be more plentiful. Don't forget to bring your own containers." (Price for this year not yet posted, but strawberries were $2.25 per pound last year.)

Engelke Farm
1463 Garfield Rd, Brunswick, NY 12180 (map)
(518) 478-4939
PYO strawberries haven't started yet. 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 haven't started, yet. Watch the farm's Facebook page. It sounds like it has a big crop this year.

Swartz Farm
1581 Eleanor Drive, Castleton, NY (map)
(518) 858-1174
The last update to the farm's FB page on June 10 indicated it would still be a little while until strawberries are ready. It sounds like rainy, cool weather held things back. (Swartz usually has detailed updates about the season.)

Saratoga County

Ariel's Farm
194 Northern Pines Road, Wilton, NY 12831 (map)
(518) 584-2189

PYO strawberry season is planned to start June 19, according to answering machine. "Our berries are a bit behind this year because of the weather."

Bowman Orchards
141 Sugar Hill Rd, Rexford, NY (map)
(518) 371-2042
Monday-Saturday 9 am-5 pm and Sunday 12-5 pm
PYO strawberries started June 12, according the farm's FB page. PYO strawberries are $3.49/lb per pound. Bowman typically has strawberries until the first frost.

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 strawberries opened June 12, according the farm's FB page. But check for availability and hours, because it sounds like the grow isn't fully in. The farm didn't have PYO a few days this week because the crop was pick out. Strawberries are $4.50 per quart (six for $25). PYO is at the corner of Swaggertown Road and Worden Road.

Greene County

We added Greene County last year after a request. 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 12, according to the farm's Facebook page, and the crop is just getting started. 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
PYO strawberries started June 12, according to the farm's Facebook page. They're $3.25 per quart. They stand also has already-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-5 pm, Saturday-Sunday 8 am-4 pm
PYO strawberries started June 12. They're $2.95 per pound. Season lasts 3-4 weeks.

"The crop is just getting started. We should have berries into the beginning of July (weather dependent) we grow several different varieties that ripen at different times." Keep an eye on the Facebook page for updates.