Berries taste better when you’ve picked them yourself—that’s just science. (And by science, I mean my taste buds.)
It’s finally berry picking season in North Carolina, and there’s no better way to get summer started than to visit a local farm and fill up a bucket with strawberries (which typically grow in NC between late April and early June), blueberries (which you can pick between early June and early July) or blackberries (which grow from the end of June through August).
There’s no shortage of opportunities to pick berries in North Carolina, especially in the central part of the state. But for an experience that’s always top-tier, my pick is Eno River Farm, just outside of Hillsborough.
Though Eno River Farm is family-owned and operated, it’s a big, well-organized operation. That meant that on a recent Saturday at the peak of strawberry picking season, the parking lot was full and the line for ice cream was long, but the strawberry fields themselves were spacious enough that each family got their own section to spread out and pick berries at their own pace. The farm’s prices felt reasonable, too: For $25, we filled up a generously-sized basket to the brim (or there’s also a smaller basket you can fill for $15).
If you’d rather not pick your own, Eno River Farm has baskets of pre-picked strawberries available, along with other seasonal produce from their farms, farm-made honey, and other products, and an expansive greenhouse of plants for sale.
It’s not just berries that you can pick at Eno River Farm: In addition to strawberries, blueberries, and blackberries, the farm also offers you-pick tulips and daffodils in the early spring (and at the end of the bloom, you can even dig up your own tulip bulbs to plant at home).
After you pick your berries, stop inside for homemade ice cream or a coffee drink, and take your treats to wander around the family-friendly trails through the woods on the Eno River Farm property, which feature giant wooden troll sculptures and a playhouse. Or, if picking wore you out, the farm has ample Adirondack chairs to relax and take in the view of the fields of berries.
Eno River Farm frequently has food trucks on-site if you want to grab a quick lunch or dinner post-picking, and often hosts other events, like wreath-making workshops or tree care classes.
But there’s no arguing that the berries are the main attraction. Personally, I ate mine by the handful, put them over yogurt, ice cream, and oatmeal, and piloted a strawberry-basil mule. If you visit Eno River Farm (or any other you-pick berry farm, for that matter), have your recipes ready—and be sure to go while there’s still plenty to pick.