Terrapin Orchards - Elizabeth, Illinois
Terrapin Orchards - Elizabeth, Illinois

Strawberries

A ripe, farm-fresh strawberry is a work of Agronomic art. These Ruby red cones of deliciousness are a culinary delight that nature mastered Millenia ago. Unfortunately, the masters of mass production have sacrificed sweet for pounds of produce. Consumers at the grocery store shop with their eyes, and the biggest strawberry growers fulfill these needs. They grow berries that get huge, and pick them weeks before they’re actually ripe, and artificially ripen them later. This allows grocery shoppers around the world to buy red berries that still appear firm, even though they live thousands of miles away from the fields. 

Our berries represent the best that mother nature intended them to be. Our berries are juicy, they will run down your face and stain your white shirt. The real strawberry flavors are INTENSE. Whether you eat them mashed up over ice cream, bake them into a delicious delicacy, or enjoy them my favorite way-right out in our field- your taste buds will thank you for picking us. 

Our strawberry growing is focused on pick-your-own. We want you to bring your friends, kids, or latest tinder date out to our farm so we can make your taste buds dance. The memories made out in our strawberry patch last longer than the strawberries will. It’s a great opportunity to get outside, learn about where your food comes from, and bring home some top-quality produce. We sell our berries by the pound. If you want to pick 1 pound to try, you pay accordingly. If you want to spend all afternoon picking so you and the grandkids can make 20 pints of jam, we have the berries to do it and will gladly sell them to you. There is no limit to what you can pick. Folks who bring their own containers to pick the berries into get a discount and won’t have to buy produce containers from us. Ice cream pails work great for this and are a common sight in the patch! 

Some things you should expect when you come to visit. Strawberries ripen quickly and picking conditions can change fast. In 3 days, we can have 10,000 plants go from white berries to ready to pick.  On the other side a 3-inch rain can destroy currently ripe berries overnight. Because of this, we always advise you to check our Facebook for picking condition updates. Typically, the best picking happens the second week of the season which is normally around June 10th. 

We do our best to offer our berries for sale in our store pre-picked and ready for purchase. Labor is a huge constraint for our little business, and typically we have to limit the pre-picked berries to a couple quarts. Another reason you should come and pick your own!

Some information on our 4 different strawberry varieties, in order of ripening:

  • AC Wendy - The earliest berry we offer, typically has a wedge shape and has a very firm texture. This is our personal favorite and we believe it’s the sweetest of the lot! Get out early to make sure you get some AC Wendy
  • Darselect - Our second ripening variety offers very large, and dark red berries. These are fantastic and because of their size make picking a large volume very easy.
  • Jewel - The name Jewel is very accurate here. These berries are a beautiful ruby red and grow in the typical conical strawberry shape. The taste just as good as they look.
  • Cabot - The last berries to ripen are the biggest. Cabot berries are giant and offer a slightly different taste profile than the earlier berries. They blend in some tartness and deep aromatic flavors along with the traditional strawberry taste.

 

We look forward to seeing you come berry season!
Remember, pick early and pick often!

 

Terrapin Orchards - Elizabeth, Illinois


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