Strawberry picking in Georgia begins in March and typically runs through June depending on where you are picking. With the uncertainty in the world right now because of the Covid-19 crisis, many farms are pushing their seasons back. Call ahead before heading out! As you would expect, the pick-your-own strawberries season comes earlier in South Georgia with the Atlanta area peaking from mid-April through most of May. If the season gets away from you, (it always does for me) head to North Georgia for fresh picked fruit later in the season.

From Southern Belle Farms and the Rock Ranch in Central Georgia to Southern Grace Farms in South Georgia, if you are wondering, “Where is the best strawberry farm near me?” keep reading for an all inclusive guide (including phone numbers and addresses)

Pick Your Own Strawberry Farms in Georgia | Tips for Picking and Storing Strawberries | Strawberry Recipes

1658 Turner Church Rd. | McDonough | 770-288-2582

Southern Belle Farm offers 5-acres of strawberries and is open as of mid-April 2020. They offer curbside pickup and strictly practice social distancing in the country store. Their other farm activities (including the slide, Belle’s Barn, Jumping Pillow, Cow Train, Pedal Cars and Hayride) are all closed during the Covid-19 pandemic. They are allowing for visitors to pick their own strawberries if they have enough ripe. Pre-picked berries also available curbside pick-up. Cash and credit cards are accepted. Monday-Saturdays 8am-6pm and Sundays 1-6pm. You-Pick 1Gal. for $13.00; Pre-picked 1Gal. for $16.00 More farm info here.

5020 Barnesville Hwy. | The Rock | 706-647-6374

The Rock Ranch has completely changed their business model for 2020. They are offering “country store” meals, pantry items, bulk meat and more. Orders need to be placed by Monday at 10am and can be picked up on Monday (curbside). There will NOT be a U-pick day this year. The festival and all activities such as Locomotive Train Rides, Pedal Carts, Cane Pole Fishing, Tiny Town, Petting Zoo, Giant Jumping Pillow, Paddle Boats and more are canceled for the year.

917 Bob Smith Rd | Sharpsburg| They communicate only through FB

Whitley Farms is a locally owned and family operated business located in Sharpsburg, Ga. Their berries and tomatoes are just about famous in the area and Amanda’s Farmer’s Salsa is infamous and awesome. They began the season in mid-April and are open as of April 27, 2020 and will carry it on as long as their fields are producing. Whitley Farm proudly offers fresh, locally, naturally grown fruits and vegetables. Call to see what is available that day. Payment in advance through PayPal and Venmo. Produce that may be available:

$20.00 buckets of berries, Strawberry sauce $5.00, Jam $5.00/$9.75/$17.50

Honey $2.95/$13.50/$16.50, Elderberry syrup $12.00/$35.00/$62.50, Pickled veggies (okra, green beans, pickle chips or spears and “All around the garden” includes cauliflower, bell peppers, onions, cucs…) $9.75

Large pickled asparagus $14.50, Green beans, okra, cucs and tomatoes

$4.00 a quart, Mini pound cakes $5 each

Watkinsville Farm: 5671 Hog Mountain Rd. | Bogart | 706-769-0627

Loganville Farm: 270 Willowwind Dr. | Loganville | 770-554-8119

They will still have their fall activities, but will NOT plant strawberries anymore.

4761 Holley Rd | Lizella | 478-935-8180

9515 Feagin Road | Macon

This farm was recommended by a reader. They are a family owned and operated farm growing pick-your-own strawberries. Elliott Farm has opened for the season as of April 26, 2020, however they may or may not have strawberries ready for you. They urge visitors to call before making the trek to make sure “mother nature has been nice to us”. They also have Home Grown Grain Fed Ground Beef in stock. It is $6.50 per pound. No hormones or antibiotics. Fresh from the garden vegetables are also ready to be bought.

1608 Burning Bush Rd | Ringgold | 706-866-4062

Sims is a family run sod farm. However, in 2013, they decided to add You Pick or We Pick strawberries to the farm. It is open for business as of April 26, 2020 with strawberries ripe for picking. There is NO U-pick this season. The one-gallon bucket is $20. Payment is cash/debit/credit card.

13888 Ga Hwy 109 | Meansville | 770-709-8693

There will NOT be strawberries in 2020. I n addition to pick-your-own strawberries, they also have pre-picked berries and strawberry and cream ice cream! Yum.

6659 Lone Oak Rd | Hogansville | 772-342-1224

Tom and Leigh Anne are local berry farmers that use sustainable farming practices including using their own bees for pollination, to bring the freshest, sweetest and yummiest berries you can pick or buy. They are open as of April 23, 2020. Be sure to call first though because there are more pickers than berries right now. Right now they are only offering u-pick but may offer pre-picked berries in May

5555 Crow Rd. | Cumming | 770-889-1515

Warbington Farms is open for the season! They offer three acres of strawberries. The usual activities, including “Hey”rides, petting zoo, fun park, craft for kids, and character visits are cancelled for 2020. Although they do have several drive-thru Farm Fun events that work well for social distancing this year. Currently, they are only offering “curbside” strawberries they have picked themselves. They hope to offer U-pick strawberries starting later in the season (May). Cash and credit cards. Call ahead to make sure they have strawberries available.

3498 GA-72 |Colbert | 706-338-0065

Moon Farms opened for the season in early-April. With 25,000 strawberry plants are planted each year, they have lots to offer. Right now they are offering berries they have picked and have recently opened up U-pick availability too. However there are social distancing rules to be followed. Including not eating berries in the field, staying on the assigned rows for your family, and picking in their bucket. Protective gear such as gloves and masks are suggested.

5340 Cornelia Hwy. | Alto| 770-869-3999

Jaemor Farms has 13-acres of strawberries, all pre-picked, and they are open for the season as of April 27, 2020. They have also opened the country store but are limiting the amount of people in the store. The annual U-Pick Day has been postponed indefinitely this year.

1486 GA-54 | Fayetteville | 770-461-9395

Two gallon buckets provided, but you must bring your own container for taking berries home. Cash and checks only. Call for times and to make sure they are open. Still waiting for the exact opening date for 2020.

797 W Macedonia Church Rd. | Oxford | 770-597-6346

Mitcham Farm is open for strawberry picking as of April 16, 2020 every day of the week. Stop by the market for strawberry donuts, slushies, ice cream, specialty jarred items, and fresh produce including Vidalia onions, watermelons, and tomatoes! Strawberries are available for picking when available. Call first.

8660 Blue Ridge Dr. | Blue Ridge | 706-632-3411

Mercier Orchards is now open for the season as of April 26, 2020. They have a limited amount of pre-picked strawberries. Half-gallon baskets are $8 and one gallon baskets are $16. They also are offering curbside pick up on market and bakery orders.

3743 Old Dalton Road | Rome | 706-295-2587

LCCL is a family run strawberry farm in Rome. We love that they also have a great relationship with a favorite escape, Barnsley Garden. LCCL Strawberry Farm is open for the season as of April 25, 2020. They are offering 5 pound flats for $20. Currently they are only offering pre-picked strawberries. They also have strawberry ice cream, strawberry jam, strawberry salsa and honey available to purchase as well! Our family plans to head up there soon, but we got the “scoop” from one of our Barnsley friends.

1946 Johnstonville Rd | Forsyth | 678-544-0756

Twin Oaks Fun Farm will NOT have strawberries in 2020. This strawberry field North of Atlanta anticipates having strawberries ready to pick in mid-April. In addition to picking strawberries, save some room for strawberry ice cream! The little ones can work off their treats at their amazing playground.

446 Swann Rd | Jefferson | 706-254-6292

They are a bit different than other patches. They don’t have specific hours but you can call to make an appointment. This could be perfect for those with special needs. Cash only. Awaiting information for 2020.

New Franklin Church Rd | Canon | 706-356-8831

There will be NO strawberries at Hayes Farm in 2020. This strawberry picking farm doesn’t keep up their online presence, but you can call to see when the berries are ready to pick. They did not have berries in 2019.

1510 Ridgeway Rd | Canon | 706-245-8383

This location does not have much of a web presence so you need to call to find out when the strawberries are ripe for picking.

Know Before You Go Strawberry Picking in Georgia

Be sure to give a call before you drive out (we give you phone numbers below). We’ve looked at several strawberry picking in Georgia lists and many of the farms are no longer in business (or they don’t have a phone). We’ve u In addition, call those in business to make sure there are still plenty of ripe berries to pick when you arrive.

Some days farms will be picked out early, Strawberry farms can be closed because they are ripening berries, because rain has made the fields too muddy, or because the field is simply picked out at the moment.

Tips to keep your strawberries fresh

Fresh picked berries should last between 5 and 7 days

Don’t leave berries in a car longer then absolutely necessary. Always put them in the car with you, not in the trunk. (That’s a problem in my car because my boys will just eat them all on the way home!)

Don’t wash the strawberries until you’re ready to use them. Once they are washed, they start to deteriorate faster.

When you do wash strawberries, do it in cold water.

The later you pick the sweeter the berries, but the darker the seeds.

Once you get your bucket home, if there are any left, take half and put them in a flat bottomed dish with a dry paper towel on the bottom. The weight of the strawberries on top will crush the ones below if left that way.

Keep the caps on the strawberries until you are ready to eat them. This will keep them fresher.

Store strawberries in the refrigerator to keep them fresh.

Freezing strawberries

Strawberries at our house never last for more than a day or so, but I hear some people can have more strawberries than they can possibly eat, so they freeze them. If you’d like to freeze your berries, here are some helpful tips:

Use only firm, fully ripe berries.

To avoid bruising and soaking the berries, wash only a few at a time in cold water.

Drain on absorbent paper or in a colander or sieve.

Remove the hulls with the tip of a floating blade peeler.

Chill the fruit in ice water to lower its temperature for fast freezing.

You can freeze strawberries plain, but Southern Belle Farms recommends freezing them in a dry sugar pack, following these suggestions: Halve, quarter, or slice clean berries into a bowl or shallow pan. If desired, berries may be crushed rather than sliced. Sprinkle sugar over berries, using 1/3 to 3/4 cup sugar for each quart of fruit. Gently turn berries over and over until the sugar is thoroughly dissolved. Package and freeze.



Strawberry Recipes

My friend Karen has an incredible food blog called In the Kitchen with KP. She has the most delicious recipes including these wonderful ideas on what to do with all those strawberries.

No Bake Strawberry Stacks: I love this recipe because it’s so easy and pretty. All you need is a box of Famous Chocolate Wafter Cookies, heavy whipping cream, powdered sugar, and strawberries. Mmmmm

Overnight Strawberry Stuffed French Toast: This one requires a little more work, but it can all be done the night before. Then while the toast is baking, you can cut up the strawberries and add a little sugar for the topping. Perfect for a fancy brunch, or just a special breakfast.

Have a special strawberry recipe you’d like to share? Leave us a comment!

*Photo by Flickr/James Lee

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