Pick Your Own (& What Fruit’s in Season)

By Margaret Gilmour

So, after all this rain, what’s happening in the orchards?

More specifically, what fruit is ready for picking?

With these questions in mind, and the first day of summer still lingering and causing me to daydream about sun-ripened fruit, I called Dave Hodge at Highland Orchards. Highland is one of the few pick-your-own farms in Chester County where you can harvest your fill even if you’re not a CSA member.

As part of the Highland Orchard family, Dave spends as much time in the office as he does out in the fields. He was happy to give me an update on his crop conditions.

First, the bad news: Lots of rain and cooler weather wiped out the early strawberries and all of the sweet cherry crops.

The good news is really good, though: Since the rain plumps the fruit and the sun sweetens it, late-season strawberries are quite large and around for the picking probably for another week.

And, while too much rain causes sweet cherries to split, sour cherries don’t mind the wet weather. In fact, they’ve grown bigger and better, making them ideal for baking.

All the moisture and cooler temperatures have also extended rhubarb season, which is usually over mid-June, but, according to Dave, there will be plenty of rhubarb available through the weekend.

If, like me, you’ve been looking for red raspberries, Dave says the sun we’ve seen peeking out from the clouds this week is just enough to ripen the rest of the red raspberries. This means plenty of berries by the weekend.

The good news gets even better, as it seems we were in a water deficit before the season even began. Now with the levels almost where they were at this time last year, local orchards and farmers should have a great crop year.

Here’s what we can look forward to: