The Best Picks for Strawberry-Picking Season In Long Valley

LONG VALLEY, NJ — It’s that time of year again when New Jersey's ruby-hued, juicy strawberries are waiting to be plucked, placed into baskets and then carted home from pick-your-own or “PYO” locations around the region.

They may be sprinkled with a little sugar, topped with cream, blended into smoothies or homemade ice cream, mixed into Margaritas, sliced into salads, layered into or onto a cake or pie and preserved into jam.

However one decides to snack on these delectable summer treats, there are plenty of local destinations where one can pick fresh Garden State strawberries, shop and often take in other fun activities.

Long Valley has one of these local treasures, in Ort Farms. On Sunday, the farm is hosting a collectible and antique car show. Dads looking for something to do can enjoy "berries and brew" on Father's Day with their families. "Fresh Air Friday" is a special strawberry event for kids. Ort Farms also features other fun for families visiting them.

Below are some of the region’s farms and some of the special steps to do before heading to them, like advance ticket or reservation requirements before berry picking, with some accepting payment by cash only for PYO strawberries.

Strawberry Picking In Long Valley
Ort Farms
Where: 25 Bartley Road
Call for more information: 908-876-3351
How to pick: Visit Ort Farms for its “Strawberry Pick Your Own Festival,” for berry-picking and fun events during the season. Click here to purchase tickets for a $3 discounted admission price for each person, with children two and under free. Strawberries are additional at $3.99 per pound. If picking is canceled because of inclement weather and conditions, tickets are transferrable via a special coupon, otherwise admission is neither transferrable nor refundable. Ort’s strongly encourages reservations for berry picking.
There are other special happenings at Ort's during the 2021 PYO strawberry season. There’s a an antique and collectible car show on June 13 from 9 a.m. to 3 p.m. with the patch open until 5 p.m. That day, Cousins Maine Lobster, Jersey Girl Brewery, Unionville Vineyard, Dellanos Foods and Sip and Swirl Ice Cream are scheduled as special guests. On June 20 for Father's Day and at $7.95, is “berries and brew,” with strawberry picking, live music and vendors Dellano Foods, Sip and Swirl Ice Cream and Jersey Girl Brewery.
A 2021 season pass is also available for pick your own strawberries and later the “Sunflower Trail” and PYO pumpkin pass and fall festival, for $32.95 per person. The farm offers a regular calendar with kids’ activities and during PYO strawberry season with, “Fresh Air Friday: Strawberries” on Friday, June 18 from 3 p.m. to 4 p.m., for $14.95 per person, which includes a pint of strawberries, snack and visit with the farm animals.

Other fun things to do: Regularly during strawberry picking season, there are other happenings at the farm, like pony and train rides (with tickets needed at $7 and $3 each), visits with the animals and food vendors. Guests to Ort Farms can buy a punch card, which offers discounts on the activities and snacks.
Before or after berry picking, guests to Ort Farms can stop to the farm's market, with local produce, fresh baked goods, dairy items, honeys and food items, jams, flowers and more. The farm market includes five greenhouses with vegetable plants, herbs, annuals, perennials, hanging baskets, potting soil, garden soil and mulch.

Strawberry Picking In Chester

Alstede Farms
Where: 1 Alstede Farms Lane
Call for more information: 908-258-6245
How to go pick: First, check out where the farm lists its picking availability on its schedule page. Then, drill down to strawberry-picking conditions on the website before buying a ticket. Next, buy tickets to pick. Costs are also based on the container size chosen.
Other fun things to do: While at Alstede Farms, visit their farm store for their fresh produce, grass-fed meats, fresh baked goods, local honey and other favorites.
Enjoy soft-serve or old-fashioned ice cream and other frozen treats at Alstede’s stand.
Grab a burger, chicken fingers, hot dogs and other menu items at the Hen House.
Spend time with the farm’s cows, sheep, horses, donkeys, goats, rabbits, chickens, ducks and turkeys.
Visit Alstede’s seasonal mazes.
Click here for more fun things to do during a visit to Alstede Farms.

Stony Hill Farms
Where: 15 North Road
Call for more information: 908-879-2908
How to pick: Visit Stony Hill’s u-pick strawberries’ page to reserve a time slot.
Tickets are necessary for every participant over the age of two, with weekday or weekday reservations required. Hours to pick are 10 a.m. to 5 p.m., with the last ticket to pick each day at 4 p.m.
Other fun things to do: Stop to the farm market at Stony Hill, which stocks seasonal produce and plants, specialty food items, decor, gifts and more.
Stony Hill’s gardens boast over 20,000 square feet of greenhouse space, with seasonal annual and perennial plants, bulbs and orchids, as well as a florist.

Strawberry Picking In Hackettstown

Donaldson Farms
Where: 358 Allen Road.
Call for more information: 908-852-9122 ext. 3
How to pick: Donaldson Farms recommends for the best berry-picking experience with them, by first calling or checking their website or Facebook Page for conditions before visiting the farm. Guests must check in at the farm market first before berry picking. Though there’s no entry fee, berries are $4.29 per pound, with quart containers at 50 cents a container and flat containers at $2 each. Strawberries cannot be carried out in plastic bags.
Guests can visit Donaldson Farms’ full PYO schedule here. Stay tuned to the farms’ Strawberry Harvest Weekends page for various happenings during the season.Over the weekends during PYO strawberry harvest weekends, Donaldson Farms’ has pony rides with their pony, Sunny, after 5 p.m. on Fridays; and duck races from 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. Click here for all summer attractions.

Other fun things to do: At the farm market, visitors will find farm-fresh produce, glass-bottled-milk from a local dairy, cheeses, meats, baked goods, gift baskets, gourmet foods and more.

Strawberry Picking In Newton/Andover Township (Sussex County)

Sussex County Strawberry Farm
Where: 565 Route 206 North
Call for more information: 973-579-5055
How to go pick: Farmer John of the family-owned Sussex County Strawberry Farm says, “The best strawberries are the ones you pick yourself.” At the “U Pick Strawberries” area of the farm, guests can show up with for no entry costs, except for the berries and then pick, with berries toted away in the farm’s special and recognizable white baskets. On their pick your own webpage, they offer picking weather and forecasts, helpful tips about how to store the berries when at home, how to freeze them and other advice.
The best place online for berry-picking hours and conditions each week during strawberry season is on the farm’s public Facebook Group. See other updates on the farm’s Instagram.
The farm also sells pre-picked berries at its greenhouse in front of the property, on a first-come, first-served basis.
Other fun things to do: The farm has an expansive garden center, where they sell a range of flowers, vegetables and herb plants, mulch, potting soil, hanging baskets and other items.
Click here to also view offerings in the farm’s furniture center.

Strawberry Picking In Washington Township (Warren County)

VonThun Farms
Where: 438 Route 57
Call for more information: 732-958-6816
How to pick: During u-pick strawberry season, guests to the farm can pick daily from 10 a.m. to 5 p.m, though they must make reservations on weekend days. It’s $3 per person, over the age of two. Guests pay for the berries they'll fill their container with. A “berry bucket,” can store berries for four guests, while a pint or quart size is best for one.
At this link, guests can also purchase Strawberry Festival tickets on Saturday, June 12 and Sunday, June 13, which has pony rides, face painting and other fun, in addition to berry picking.
Other fun things to do: The farm market is a sister location to Von Thun Farms’ main market in South Brunswick. Here they sell farm fresh produce, eggs, sauces, honey, jams, Pennsylvania Dutch candies, private label products, handmade lotions and soaps and other items.
Payment is accepted at the store by cash, credit or debit cards and WIC vouchers and Senior FMNP for produce items.
VonThun’s is known as well for its natural Angus beef, grass-fed and raised at the farm.
The farm’s “Friends & Neighbors Club” offers customer rewards for shopping with them.

Questions or comments about this story? Contact me at: jennifer.miller@patch.com.