Pickin' & Grinnin' -- Love Those Strawberries? U-Pick Fields Are Ripe And Ready For Hungry Visitors

Look, there, under that leaf: A big red strawberry beckons you to reach, admire, pick and gently plop it into your box.

The strawberries are ripe at fields around Puget Sound. They're sweet, juicy, and oh so tasty.

Most area U-pick strawberry fields opened this week, or will today. And if the weather cooperates - not too hot, not too wet, but with a good soaking about mid-week next week - there should be plentiful berries at least through the end of the month.

The prices of U-pick berries vary dramatically: You'll pay as little as 50 cents a pound to as much as $1 a pound for certified organic berries. At some farms the prices change as the berries ripen and are picked; 60 to 85 cents a pound are common prices this weekend. Picked flats, which run about 12 pounds, average $1 a pound at the farm stands.

Of course, one of the best parts about picking is the eating!

"We don't charge you for what you eat, who could resist?" says Clarence Due, at Due's Berry Farm near Marysville. "We've got 24 acres in berries. This year, with all that hot weather we've had and then the rains, the berries are really nice."

But call ahead: "We're never sure about the fields; sometimes they get picked out of ripe berries, or its too muddy," says Bonnie Remlinger, whose family has 30 acres of U-pick berries this year near Fall City, along with a retail fruit market and farm operation in Carnation. "So much depends on the weather, and how many pickers are out."

Four generations of the Due family have raised berries in Marysville. That includes Clarence Due's two children, who are grown and have other jobs, but still come back during the season to help tend the farm stand and supervise the picking.

"We've got berry blood," Due says. "Used to be there were 30 or 40 berry farms out here. These days, there is us and the Biringers. I don't know how long we'll be here, but we'll stay as long as we can afford to."

It's a similar story in most parts of Puget Sound.

In years gone by there were at least 100 or more big strawberry farmers who raised berries to sell commercially and who opened their fields to casual pickers, says Chris Smith, Kitsap County Cooperative Extension agent.

"So often, younger generations were tempted away by jobs, and the land became more valuable for development than for seasonal berries. It's a shame; once the farms are gone, they're not replaceable."

Around Puget Sound this month there are at least 14 farms open for U-pick strawberries, and perhaps a handful more that have commercial fields and sell flats of fresh-picked berries at stands nearby. Many of the farms will open U-pick fields of raspberries, corn, lettuce, peas and other produce, as the season progresses.

The farmers expect to be busy.

"People have been calling, wanting to come out; tell them to come now, while the berries are good," says Mary Bakko, whose family has a farm and garden nursery in Lake Stevens. "There's just two or three weeks when the berries are good, and these are the weeks."

---------------- TIPS FOR PICKERS ----------------

Area strawberry farmers recommend you always call ahead for field conditions and berry availability. Rain can change field and fruit conditions quickly and dramatically - but what is heavy rain in one field might be just mist in another.

Wear long pants and shoes, and if it has been wet, bring boots because berry fields get muddy. Bring a hat and sunscreen, and long-sleeved shirts are best. Pack snacks and drinks; there are rarely places to eat near the fields. Bathroom facilities are limited or non-existent.

You can bring your own containers, or use the cardboard flats provided at the fields.

Finally, call ahead to see if there are any restrictions on young children in the fields.

-------------------- FARM GUIDE AVAILABLE --------------------

Strawberry growers and other produce farms are listed in the Farm Fresh Guide, published by the Puget Sound Farm Direct Marketing Association. Copies are available at local libraries, Chamber of Commerce offices and member farms or by sending a 32-cent stamp and a self-addressed mailing label (no envelopes) to: Puget Sound Farm Direct Marketing Association, 1733 N.E. 20th St., Renton, WA 98056.

------------------------------------------------------ FIELDS APLENTY: WHERE TO GO TO PICK FRESH STRAWBERRIES ------------------------------------------------------

Here is a list of area U-pick fields that expect to be open this weekend:

King County

Serres Farm, (206) 684-1310, 20306 N.E. 50th St., three miles east of Redmond off Redmond-Fall City Road. 8 a.m. to 8 p.m. daily.

Harvold Berry Farm, (206) 333-4185, 32325 N.E. 55th St., on Carnation-Duvall Road, just north of Carnation. 8 a.m. to 8 p.m. daily.

Remlinger Farms, (206) 451-8740. One mile south of Carnation on Northeast 32nd Street off Highway 203. 8 a.m. to 8 p.m. daily.

Family Trees Orchard, (206) 463-3256, 23724 Dockton Road S.W., Vashon Island. Dawn to dusk daily.

Grandpa's Farm, (206) 432-4269, 26825 S.E. 208th St., Hobart, east of Maple Valley. 8 a.m. to 6 p.m. daily.

T & M Berry Farm, (206) 242-3370, 27329 78th Ave. S., south of Kent about 1.5 miles on Third Avenue which becomes 78th Avenue South. 8 a.m. to 8 p.m. weekdays, 8 a.m. to 5 p.m. Friday through Sunday.

Carvalli Farm (formerly Suyematsu Berry Farm), (360) 897-6108 12589 S.E. Green Valley Road, east of Auburn. 7:30 a.m. to 7 p.m. daily.

Hamakami Strawberry Farm, (206) 833-2081, 14733 S.E. Green Valley Road, five miles east of Auburn near Flaming Geyser Park. 8 a.m. to 5 p.m. daily.

Snohomish County

Due's Berry Farm, (360) 659-3875, 14003 Smokey Point Blvd., Marysville. Exit 206 (Smokey Point) off I-5. 8 a.m. to 8 p.m. weekdays; 8 a.m. to 6 p.m. weekends.

Bakko's Farm Market and Nursery, (206) 334-3581, 7808 Highway 92 (Granite Falls Highway), Lake Stevens. 9 a.m. to 7 p.m. daily.

Biringer Farm, (206) 259-0255, Highway 529 between Marysville and Everett, about four miles north of Everett. Exit 199 (Marysville) from I-5. 8 a.m. to 7 p.m. weekdays; 8 a.m. to 4 p.m. weekends.

Craven Farm, (360) 568-2601, 13817 Short School Road, three miles south of Snohomish. 8 a.m.-6 p.m. daily, except 9 a.m.-5 p.m. Sundays.

Pierce County

Spooner's U-Pick, (206) 841-2876, 1725 E. Main St. and 9622 Highway 162 E. (Orting Highway), both in Puyallup. 8 a.m. to 7 p.m. weekdays, 8 a.m. to 6 p.m. Saturdays, 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. Sundays.

Terry's Berries, (206) 922-1604, 4520 River Road, two miles east of I-5 at Exit 135, Tacoma. Organic berries. 9 a.m. to mid-afternoon, Fridays and Saturdays; call first.