Yum! Local strawberries are ready. Whether you prefer to buy them in cunning quart baskets at a farm stand or pick them by the bushel, it’s time to eat strawberries in Rhode Island. Every day. Possibly at every meal.
Many berry lovers in the Providence area associate U-Pick berry season with Four Town Farm in Seekonk. It is close by–bewilderingly close to Target–and the berries! Wonderful! Plump red beauties in quart baskets ($5.50) are available now but sell out quickly. Four Town Farm plans to open the U-Pick fields on Thursday, June 19. Most children are very helpful berry hunters and pickers. And tasters. And shortcake makers. It is a fun field trip, and even if you only have fifteen minutes of available kid-attention-span, you’ll be able to pick several pounds easily.
Inside the farm stand, local rainbow chard, rhubarb, spinach, lettuces, radishes, and scallions longer than your legs are beautiful and ready to buy. (Also available: ginger, avocados, apricots, and Diet Coke from who-knows-where.) Every year I am surprised anew that the produce at Four Town Farm is not more expensive than a grocery store (chard, $2/pound; avocados, $1.45 each). While the adults shopped for dinner, the six kids in our group agonized over which flavor honey stick ($0.20) to choose from the display. Tell me, if your favorite color is green, is it wise to get the greenish one even if you fear things that are minty? In an unfortunate turn of events, the honey sticks became extremely sticky weapons for dueling.
We left the farm with armloads of great stuff for dinner and plenty of berries for dessert, sticky and happy children, and a short trip home.
Four Town Farm – 90 George Street Seekonk, MA 02771
Hours of Operation: 9:00 am – 6:30 pm (Mon – Fri), 9:00 am – 6:00 pm (Sat – Sun)
Phone: (508) 336-5587
More:
– For berry picking information, go to farmfresh.org
– For a Super Kido-tested jam recipe, go to Making Strawberry Jam
Photo Credit: Katy Killilea
Anisa makes the jam. I tried to make jam before I saw Anisa’s recipe–which I am sure works–and wound up with dribbly slop. Tasty, but not jammy. There is a good article on jam for beginners in the new Bon Appetit, but you won’t see it at the Y b/c I tore it right out.
We make shortcakes and strawberry rhubarb crisp. Today made a misguided “berry foccacia”–stupid, stupid passe/trendy waste of berries. I’d say stick with jam,classic desserts, and plain strawberries or maybe just with plain yogurt. Those babies are too good to mess around with.
We picked, we tasted, we battled with honey sticks, we lived the Jamberry dream!
You’re right, the produce is beautiful & reasonably priced.
Now, what to do with all these berries?
I think I’ll have to check out your past “strawberry jam” post. Thanks again!
Don’t forget the rhubarb.
Thanks so much for passing on the info. I’m taking the kids today, I can’t wait!
Hi. It’s me again. We just got home from berry picking at Four Town Farm (monday the 16th.) It started today. Tons of berries.