I have to warn you.
Local strawberries are almost here in the Lehigh Valley, but in Pennsylvania, the season can be over faster than a fox running off with a pastured chicken.
Depending on the weather, we usually get about three good weeks of local strawberries. And most of the berries come right in the middle of that short window.
So if you’re thinking, “Oh good, I’ll grab some when I see them,” I want you to know how this really works.
Wanting strawberries doesn’t save strawberries.
The best local fruit goes quickly.
And strawberries are one of those foods people get emotionally attached to.
- That first bowl on the table
- Kids eating them before you even get them washed and put away
- Strawberry shortcake after supper
- A few quarts tucked into the freezer because you know you’ll want that taste again when the season is gone
It’s the kind of food that reminds you why you bother with local food in the first place.
Because when a strawberry is picked ripe, grown close by, and eaten in season, it tastes like something you waited for.
Why Local Strawberries Are Worth Waiting For
Here in Pennsylvania, strawberries don’t behave like grocery store strawberries.
They don’t show up every week of the year in a plastic clamshell, looking exactly the same no matter what month it is.
Real strawberries come when they are ready.
They come when the weather cooperates. When the blossoms survive. When the soil, the sun, and the farmer have all done their part.
Some years, the season starts a little earlier. Some years, we wait.
A hard frost can damage the earliest blossoms. Too much rain can shorten the harvest. Heat can push the season along faster than expected.
That is part of eating local food.
It is not manufactured on demand. It is grown in real weather, in real soil, by real farmers.
And that is exactly why it tastes different.
Where Our Local Strawberries Come From
A few years ago, we stopped growing our own strawberries here at Willow Haven Farm.
It was just too disappointing for our kids to weed a 300-foot row of strawberry plants… only to have the deer devour them.
Okay. Farmer Reuben may have been the most disappointed.
But someday, when we get a deer fence installed, the first thing he wants to plant is strawberries.
And then carrots.
But all is not lost.
Our strawberries come from Farmer Leroy at Misty Acres Farm in Kutztown.
And they are delicious.
He grows early berries in his greenhouse and field berries when the season really opens up.
Farmer Leroy was certified organic until recently, and he even had Real Organic Project certification too. The paperwork changed, but his growing practices did not.
He is still growing the clean, delicious, sustainable food he has always grown.
That matters with strawberries.
Many of us have learned to be careful about where our strawberries come from. Strawberries are delicate. We eat them fresh. And when your kids are standing at the counter eating them by the handful, you want to feel good about the farm they came from.
That is why we are so grateful to work with nearby growers like Farmer Leroy at Misty Acres Farm. It lets us bring more truly local, seasonal fruit to families here in the Lehigh Valley.
When Will Local Strawberries Be Ready?
Most years, Memorial Day is the safest bet for the beginning of our local strawberry season.
But every year is a little different.
This year, that hard, cold frost in April damaged blossoms and seedlings across our region. The first strawberry blossoms — the ones that would have given us the earliest berries — were killed off.
So now we wait for the second round of blossoms to grow and ripen.
That is the rule with local strawberries:
Get them while you can. Stock up if you can. Because the strawberries in the grocery store the rest of the year never compare.
And if you want the best ones, you can’t shop for them like grocery store food.
You can’t wait around and assume they will be there whenever you get around to it.
That does not mean you have to stand in line at a farm stand at sunrise.
It just means you need a better plan.
Don’t Forget the Rhubarb
Strawberries get all the attention, but rhubarb is the quiet spring ingredient that makes strawberry season even better.
Rhubarb is in season now. And the nice thing about rhubarb is that its season usually lasts longer than strawberries. It also stores better, so you can buy rhubarb ahead and keep it ready for when the strawberries finally arrive.
That means when those first local berries show up, you are already halfway to something wonderful:
- Strawberry rhubarb pie
- Strawberry rhubarb jam
- Strawberry rhubarb cake
- Strawberry rhubarb crisp
- A simple stovetop sauce for yogurt, pancakes, or ice cream
There is something old-fashioned and comforting about the combination.
Strawberries bring the sweetness. Rhubarb brings that bright, tart flavor that makes the whole thing taste like spring.
So if you see rhubarb before strawberries arrive, don’t overlook it.
Tuck some away.
Your future pie-baking, jam-making, shortcake-serving self may thank you.
How to Make the Most of Local Strawberries Once You Get Them
When local strawberries arrive, use them quickly.
Truly ripe berries are more tender than grocery store berries because they were picked for flavor, not long-distance shipping.
Here’s how to make the most of them:
- Keep them cold
- Don’t wash them until you are ready to eat them
- Make shortcake
- Slice some over yogurt
- Tuck a few quarts into the freezer
- Pull out your rhubarb for pie, jam, cake, crisp, or a simple stovetop sauce
If you want to freeze strawberries, wash, hull, and spread them on a tray first so they freeze individually before you pack them into bags.
The season is too short to be precious with them.
Eat them. Share them. Save a few for later if you can.
The Easiest Way to Start Ordering from Willow Haven Farm
If you’re new to Willow Haven Farm, you don’t have to figure everything out at once.
You don’t have to know every vegetable. You don’t have to plan a perfect week of meals. You don’t even have to understand our whole online farm market the first time you order.
Start with the Best of the Farm Sampler.
It gives you a simple, seasonal mix of real food from our farm and our trusted local partners, so you can taste what makes Willow Haven Farm different before you build a bigger weekly habit.
Think of it as a first step into local food that feels simple instead of overwhelming.
- You get a taste of the farm
- You get food your family can actually use
- You start building a local food rhythm that makes eating well easier week after week
Because that is the real goal.
A better source of food, a simple habit, and a farm family you can trust.
Then, if strawberries are one of the foods you wait for all year, add a Fruit Subscription.
A Fruit Subscription gives you first access to the best in-season fruit when it comes in — including Farmer Leroy’s strawberries from Misty Acres Farm in Kutztown.
It simply saves your fruit spot first. Then you can still build the rest of your Market Box around what your family needs that week.
Weekly and biweekly options are both available, so choose the rhythm that fits how you actually order.
Because the best local fruit is limited, fruit subscriptions are meant for families who are actively ordering throughout the season. That helps us keep the best fruit reserved for the members who are really counting on it.
If you only order once in a while, start with the sampler and watch the main shopping page for extras.
But if you want those sweet, sun-ripened, local strawberries saved for your family when they come in, this is the best way to get in line before they arrive.
⬇️ Ready to taste the farm? Scroll down to start with the Best of the Farm Sampler, or enter the Real Food Giveaway for a chance to win one before strawberry season arrives.
We support your desire to have a good, healthy way of life and organic farm food on your table that supports that goal.
We’ll keep farming for you!
Reuben and Tessa DeMaster
Willow Haven Farm
Start with Real Food from the Farm
New to Willow Haven Farm? Start simple with a Best of the Farm Sampler, add a Fruit Subscription if you want first access to the best local strawberries, or enter our Real Food Giveaway to get connected with the farm.
Start with the Sampler
Add a Fruit Subscription
Not ready to order yet?
Enter the Real Food Giveaway and get connected with the farm. It’s an easy first step if you want to learn more before placing your first Market Box order.
