by Allie Shay

It's May--that lovely time before the heat of the North Carolina summer sets in for a long stay.

A bright spring afternoon or cool weekend morning draws out berry lovers for the time-honored and beloved tradition of berry picking. A great intergenerational activity, berry picking brings out children, their parents and grandparents, crowds of friends, and others looking for a pleasant outing. Customers find the simple pleasures of time in the sun and fresh air, a shared activity, and the taste of fresh-picked berries, which no store-bought fruit can quite match.

Chapel Hill area residents have several choices of pick-your-own berry farms within a short drive. The most common crops are strawberries from around April to June, and blueberries in June and July.

These berry farms are generally small, family-owned and operated businesses dedicated to providing fresh, high-quality produce directly to their community.

Herndon Hills Farms in Durham, farmed by the Herndon family since the late 1700s, has been home to a pick-your-own berry patch since 1987.

Says owner Nancy Herndon, "The pick-your-own operation has been a wonderful way to meet our new neighbors, modernize the farm and adapt to the suburban environment, and preserve some of our heritage and way of life."

Visitors to Herndon Hills find everything needed for picking; all fruit is pick-your-own, rather than pre-picked. Customers are advised to call before coming, to find out the hours and conditions.

Herndon continues, "Most of our customers are repeat pickers from previous years, who say they enjoy the delicious fruit, the fact that we do not spray the fruit with anything, the beauty of the farm, and the fact that we are still here in spite of the changes around us."

Although operating these berry farms is a challenging business, the farmers generally find the work rewarding. They cite the joys of working with nature and interacting with their customers.

"Even when I'm doing a boring task like pulling weeds, there is often a bluebird watching from a bush, or a hawk circling overhead," says Herndon. "To be outdoors under the big sky is fabulous."

The year-round work on the farm culminates in the brief but active berry season, which brings consumers into direct contact with producers.

Owning a berry farm is not a walk in the park. Karma Lee, owner of Buckwheat Farm in Apex, says that she orginaly did not realize how much work it was going to be. She describes long days, when she gets up around 5:30 to prepare for opening the pick-your-own farm at 8:00AM.

Mark Waller of Durham's Waller Family Farm also recounts late nights and eary mornings, tending to the farm.

Many pick-your-own berry farms are part of larger farm operations. Waller Family Farm in Durham offers a wide variety of vegetables in addition to strawberries; Herndon Hills grows blueberries and muscadine grapes; and Buckwheat Farm produces various jams, jellies, and honey in addition to their blueberries and strawberries. Many of the farms also have a wide variety of animals--such as chickens, goats, and pigs--all of which need tending to.

Owning a farm is not a nine-to-five job. Says Nancy Herndon, "nature is ruthless as well as glorious...even under the best conditions it is necessary to work with nature, adjusting daily to changes in temperature, rainfall, and wind."

Jean's Berry Patch, located on Highway 751, 9.5 miles south of I-40 on the left, has just opened for their 27th season. Although they hope to open in early April each year, the cold and rain delayed their opening till April 23.

"This season is unique," says Jean Copeland. "We have more apprehension because the rising costs for gas, fertilizer, chemicals, plastic and labor have forced us to raise our prices. I've always fet that agricultural products should be less expensive, because if you grow it yourself there's not as much cost. But it's not that way any more, and we have to pass along the price increases."

This season the price for U-pick strawberries will be $1.25 per pound. Jean has not raised this price, formerly $1.10/lb, for several years.

"When we first opened prices were 50 or 60 cents a pound. I remember I jut felt terrible when we had to raise the price to $1 a pound."

"What I like and what is unique about this business is that it is a fun, family-oriented business. It is a fun family outing to pick the berries, and it can be a fun family event to put up the strawberries, whether you just eat them or make pies and cakes or jams and jellies. We're hoping that the gas prices won't inhibit families from coming as often as they'd like."

"The second reason I enjoy this business is the chance to offer knowledge of how things grow. A dad recently told me how glad he was that we allowed children to come and pick. It had never occurred to me not to allow children. He said his son thought strawberries grew in the Winn-Dixie. He said this gave him a chance to talk to him about how the plants are planted in the fall and then they grow and bloom, and then the bees pollinate them. Then the berry comes and turns color from the sun."

Jean's has been fortunate not to have any hail the last few years.

"We can weather any obstacle but hail. And we've been lucky this year and only had to frost-protect four nights."

Jean expects the picking season to last until the end of May.

"The heat is what puts us out of business. The plants just shut down."

Karma Lee says she enjoys the business. "I just really enjoy being outdoors," she says, "and our customers are just some of the most wonderful people ever."

One of the things Lee most enjoys is having school groups come to the farm. Buckwheat Farm started hosting school tours during their second year of business, and has continued ever since.

The school groups can call ahead to schedule a time to come to the farm to pick berries, have a picnic lunch, and visit with the farm animals. Once groups ocme, they often keep coming back--Lee reports that some groups have been coming for five or six years.

Whether pickers come with a group, with their families, or on their own, they will find a friendly and relaxing atmosphere. Customers can enjoy nature, observe life on a working farm, and go home with some fresh and delicious fruit, purchased directly from the hands that grow it. There's something special about eating locally-grown and handpicked strawberries.

Mark Waller appreciates it when customers treat the berry patch with respect. "Many hours of hard work have gone into getting the crops the best we can get them for you," Waller says. "Most importantly, [we want you to] have fun. This is our time away from the hustle and bustle of the working world. Just sit and listen. Breathe deeply and relax.