Where To Pick Your Own Strawberries in Connecticut
Hello friends! Today I’m sharing Where To Pick Your Own Strawberries in Connecticut. My sister and I recently went to Jones Family Farm in Shelton, CT and had such a fun time! I can’t remember the last time I’ve gone berry picking, but after being down in North Carolina a couple of weeks ago and buying a carton of farm fresh strawberries (they’re so much better than store bought!), I knew I had to get my hands on more! Keep reading to for everything you need to know about Where To Pick Your Own Strawberries in Connecticut!
Also! Fellow New Englanders, don’t forget to check out my SAFE New England Summer Bucket List blog post here!
Where To Pick Your Own Strawberries in Connecticut
The Perfect Summer Activity
Was it safe?
I’m going to just dive right into it here. I was so impressed by how the staff went above and beyond with making the experience as safe as possible. (Note: they also have pick your own blueberries, which will be ready for picking in a couple of weeks!) From the moment you pull onto the Jones Family Farm property there are tons of staff helping guide you through the process from a safe distance. All the staff members were wearing masks and were so friendly and helpful!
You reserve your time slot online before picking (more on this below), which makes the process completely paperless/contact free! Your only interaction is getting your strawberry picking baskets. The staff member handing these baskets out was behind plexiglass and was wearing gloves.
Once you get your basket (you can choose from 2 sizes online), you walk down to the fields. Staff are positioned all along the way directing you. Once you get to the field you’ll probably have to wait for a minute before you get assigned to a specific row.
The only thing I really wish they’d done differently was if they’d left a row empty between families. The families in both adjacent rows to ours were acting as if we weren’t in the middle of a pandemic. My sister and I wore our masks for the majority of the time in the row. The only time I took my mask off was when there was no one within 10 or so feet of us (which was also when I had my sister take my photos).
Ultimately I would go again, however I’d go first thing in the AM (I think the first time slot was 8:00am), instead of 9:30am, which is when we arrived. The earlier you get there the less people there will be and the safer the actual picking experience will be for you. The entire rest of the process was SUPER safe, it’s just when you’re actually in your row picking your berries when I felt a little uneasy at times.
Know Before You Go!
You’ll want to make your reservation HERE. My sister and I did the larger of the 2 basket options and it wasn’t too heavy to carry back to the car. We ended up with about 10lbs of strawberries, which was a bit overwhelming, but I froze a bunch for smoothies.
I’d suggest going on a weekday first thing in the morning. The earlier the better! We went at 9:30am and it was starting to get pretty busy by the time we left. If you can only go on a weekend, please keep in mind that your experience might be very different from mine as I’m assuming the weekends are much busier.
Other Things To Do…
I need to visit this area of CT more often! There is so much charm around Shelton. It’s a great place to just drive around and enjoy the scenic countryside views. If you have kids, they’ll love seeing the grazing cows on the side of the road.
After our fruitful morning (ha, see what I did there?), we ended up driving by a fresh eggs & farm produce sign and well, you know how much I love anything that’s farm fresh! It was a bit of an adventure finding the Stone Gardens Farm stand, but once we got there I was in heaven!
The farm stand we stopped at is called Stone Gardens Farm. At their indoor farm stand they had farm fresh meat (beef, poultry), eggs, pre-made salads, veggies, mushrooms, CT wine, and more! I LOVE supporting local and knowing where I get my food from. It is so worth it to stop by here and stock up on some farm fresh essentials!
P.S. The CT Pinot Gris wine was really good!
What To Bring With You
Prior to leaving your house you’re probably going to want to put on sunscreen. There is no shade in the middle of a strawberry field! As for what to wear, I realize I’m ridiculously dressed, but I wanted some cute blog pictures! You’ll probably want to wear comfortable clothing and walking shoes. As for what to pack here’s a quick list of what I brought with me:
– Mask!
-Hat
-Water Bottle
-Cash (for farm stand…most have a minimum purchase to use a credit or debit card)
-Hand Sanitizer
This is really helpful information, thank you. Your pictures are beautiful!
Thanks 🙂 Wish you could have come!