Strawberry picking is one of my favorite springtime activities. There’s just nothing better than a juicy, ripe strawberry straight from the field.

With the warm winter weather we’ve had this year, local strawberries have ripened early and many farms are already open for pick-your-own. My family and I went strawberry picking last week and filled two overflowing buckets with the sweet red beauties. Well, my husband and I filled the buckets, the kids ate almost every berry they picked!

Strawberries don’t last long in my house. We ate both gallons of strawberries within a week and the kids are already asking to go pick more.

If you’ve never been strawberry picking before, give it a try! Visiting a strawberry farm is not only lots of fun, but can also be a great way for little ones to learn about how plants grow and where food comes from.

When you head to a strawberry farm, be sure to dress everyone in old clothes and bring along some wipes. If your kids are like mine, they’ll be covered in sticky red juice by the time your strawberry bucket is full.

Here are a few local farms that offer pick-your-own strawberries:

Cody Strawberry Farm
44052 Pauls Crossing Road
Richfield, NC 28137
704-791-0342
www.codystrawberryfarm.com

Deer Run Farm
12325 Hwy 601
Midland, NC 28107
704-888-6304
www.deerrunfarmllc.com

Hall Family Farm
10713 Providence Rd West
Charlotte, NC 28277
704-562-4021
www.hallfamilyfarm.com

Piedmont Produce
9601 Morgan Mil Road
Monroe, NC 28110
704-753-2300
www.piedmontproduce.com

Have fun!