Pick ‘em while you can

It’s that time of the year again! Strawberry picking season began on April 20 for Henley’s Farm out on Charity Neck Road. On May 3 some friends and I were driving around looking for the perfect place to find delicious strawberries. After exploring the farms of Pungo for a while we stumbled upon a small, but charming field called Henley’s Farm.

There were rows upon rows of blooming berries waiting to be picked. Once we got our buckets, which were reusable with plastic bags placed inside so you didn’t have to buy them, a very nice Hispanic man working out on the field came and gave us some strawberry picking tips. He told us the rows closest to the street were the most full and to not pull the berry, but to gently twist and tug. 

We spent the next 45 minutes or so searching and plucking ripe berries from the fields. The weather was perfect for the occasion; it was a little cloudy with a strong breeze, which helped keep us from getting too hot out in the sun. We were the only people there at the time, which I’ll admit, I was pretty happy about. Picking the strawberries was fun, but since there weren’t a bunch of little kids running around, it was also pretty relaxing. In the end our baskets only cost about $12 each, which is much cheaper than you’ll find at most places.

“I’ve gone to Henley’s before and I’ve always loved how nice the staff was and how great the prices were,” said junior Abigail Dear.

The first thing we did when we got back home was, of course, make strawberry shortcake. All I can say is they were amazing and I highly recommend going strawberry picking at Henley’s Farm on a nice, sunny day.