Summer is here, which means that strawberries are in full bloom. Local orchards are taking advantage of this season by hosting pick-your-owns, letting customers pick strawberries in a field rather than buying them in the store.

“This is absolutely the time that strawberries are in season for us here in Pennsylvania,” Amber Borger said. She is the assistant manager at Heckman Orchards in Chestnuthill Township. Her father and uncle both own the family-run business.

She drove her vintage red truck up to the strawberry fields. The only way to access their fields is through a dirt road, full of bumps along the way.

“A lot of our customers say they know it’s summer when our strawberries are finally here,” Borger said. “All of our produce has its own challenges. Our strawberries are planted well in advance. We spend a lot of time taking care of them throughout the year, with hopes that Mother Nature cooperates and blesses us with a nice season.”

Early spring could be a problematic time of year for strawberries, Borger said. If there is a warm stretch that helps them grow, one could only hope there isn’t a cold stretch that ruins their growth. The rain could also soften the fruit too much.

They grow several different strawberries in their orchards. The varieties they grow are Cavendish, Galleta, Wendy and Cabot. Borger said that her personal favorite is Wendy.

“It’s one of the first berries to come in,” Borger said. “It’s an early berry. It’s not huge. A nice, sweet little berry.”

Borger stocks up on strawberry jam every summer. She said it’s a standard in her household. She also likes to make strawberry shortcake and chocolate-covered strawberries.

Heckman Orchards does pick-your-own events for strawberries, sour cherries, apples and pumpkins in the fall. They also do a cut-your-own-tree event. The time they host pick-your-own strawberries is 8 a.m. to noon every day of the week. They also have an evening picking from 5 to 8 p.m., except on Sundays.

“When you come here,” Borger said, “we encourage you to bring your own containers, or we have available to purchase. We put you in a row, which is different from some places. We do that because we don’t want you to pick where someone else picked.” She said that this gives customers the best chance to find the best berries.

At only $1.90 a pound, doing pick-your-own in their orchards is more cost-effective than buying their strawberries in the store. If a customer picks at least 20 pounds, the price drops a dime for every pound, too.

While Spring Mountain Farms doesn’t do pick-your-own strawberries, they do provide this service with blueberries and blackberries. Both of these will start around the beginning of July.

The reddest and firmest strawberries are the best ones to pick in the orchard. If they look discolored, wait until they are ripened. If they become mushy, they are overripe by this point. When freezing strawberries, it is best to cut the greens off before placing them in a plastic bag. After that, just keep them in the freezer and they’ll stay fresh. For the best flavor, pick the strawberries early in the morning.

Heckman Orchards is located at 3009 Route 115, Effort, PA 18330. For more information visit https://heckmanorchards.com/.