Lane Southern Orchards prepares for strawberry season
Lane Southern Orchards Retail Supervisor Michael Trayner, says they’re looking forward to this strawberry season and gave some insight on what to expect when picking.
FORT VALLEY, Georgia (41NBC/WMGT) – Springtime in Georgia means warmer temperatures, blooming flowers and, best of all, strawberry season!
Lane Southern Orchards Retail Supervisor Michael Trayner, says they’re looking forward to this strawberry season and gave some insight on what you can expect when picking.
“It’s been going great! It’s been abundant this year. The strawberries are nice and red, really good size, really good taste. We’ve been getting a lot of great reviews from it, so I feel like it’s one of the best ones I’ve seen since I’ve been here,” said Trayner.
He says Lane has a particular process when it comes to harvesting strawberries.
“Around October, they start tilling the ground, and then they start planting the strawberries. It normally takes them until about April to get good, and they grow well in the cold months because the heat will actually kill strawberries,” explained Trayner. “So, in cold months, we let them grow, grow, grow until April. That’s when they start sprouting out good, and this year, very abundantly.”
Trayner explained the best way to ensure you get the perfect patch.
“For the strawberry patches, it’s just handpicked, whether it’s by a customer who comes and picks with us or our amazing workers who come out and get them into our one-pound containers. It’s what they have been doing since I’ve been here, and it’s worked out great,” he said.
He also shared an important tip on which strawberries are best to pick.
“What we normally tell our customers when we hand them a basket is always pick the ones with the bright red color. You don’t want to pick any of the green ones because they won’t ripen anymore after being picked,” said Trayner. “So, you want to find the reddest ones you can find. Then, when you find it, you want to grab and twist. It gets it off the vine and doesn’t damage the strawberry.”
To celebrate the opening of another strawberry season, Lane Southern Orchards will host a strawberry picking event with food trucks and serve strawberry ice cream. It’s this Saturday, April 5, from 11:00 a.m. until 4:00 p.m.
