Strawberries are ripe: It must be summer

It’s a rite of summer. First the small white stands pop up along roadways and in supermarket parking lots.

Then the waiting: Are the strawberries in yet?

Yes, they are. And they’re “early and excellent,” according to Larry Thielen, who was manning the Spooner Farm stand Wednesday morning on Yelm Highway.

Warm weather in April and mild nights have ripened the berries early, Thielen said. The current cooler temperatures have slowed them down a little, but u-pick fields are still expected to open around June 8-10.

One woman was so excited to see the berry stand open, she braked to a stop and backed up, Thielen said, although he doesn’t recommend that maneuver.

Three generations of a Lacey family were there Wednesday to get their first flats of the season. Cheri Wilkins freezes them to eat all winter, she said. Her daughter, Ashley Duvall, and granddaughter, Brooklyn, 3, also were getting berries.

“We just eat them; just snack on them,” Duvall said. “We’ll be back at least four more times.”

Wilkins recalled that when Ashley was little, they’d come out for u-pick.

The berries available now are Hoods, which are soft and very sweet, Thielen said. He likes them best for eating fresh. Totems also are ripe, and are a little firmer and great for jam, he said.

At Spooners, flats are running $22 this year, $13 per half-flat, and $2.50 for a pint.

Johnson’s Berry Farm stand at 2908 Wiggins Road SE also is open daily. Johnson’s sells organic berries.

Strawberries will last until the end of June, when raspberry season begins.

This story was originally published May 25, 2016 at 1:46 PM with the headline "Strawberries are ripe: It must be summer."