Even as temperatures hovered around 90 degrees on Monday afternoon, a small group of pickers shuffled through a strawberry field at Lyman Orchards in search of the sweet fruit.
"He thinks I'm crazy. We must be crazy," said Mary of Wallingford, who made the short trip with her seemingly reluctant husband, Phil, after the couple came up empty looking for fresh strawberries at their local market.
"She talked me into doing this," Phil said.
Despite the weather extremes — lots of rain followed by hot, humid weather — it's just about prime pick-your-own season at Lyman's.
"We're kind of on a normal ripening schedule this year because the spring was normal, in terms of timing," said John Lyman III, executive vice president of Lyman Orchards.
"It's been a very good season. We've had a great crop. People have really been enjoying [the strawberries] this year. The flavor's been really good," he said.
Monday was opening day for pick-your-own raspberries at the orchards, although picking will be limited until about noon each day through the rest of the week to give the berries a chance to ripen. Blueberries should be ready by the Fourth of July, Lyman said.
With a bit of luck, three berries — raspberries, blueberries and jostaberries – will be available for picking during Lyman Orchards' upcoming Berry Fest, which is scheduled for July 13.
For now, as they say, strawberries are the flavor of the month.
"This is tonight's dinner, strawberry salad," said Christine of Berlin. "They're really good. I love it up here."
"I'll be freezing some and eating some," said Bonnie, who missed last year's pick-your-own strawberry season at Lyman's but made the trip from Haddam this year with her husband, Jake, and friend Rachel.
If you prefer to beat the heat, Lyman's offers evening pick-your-own until 7 p.m. on Wednesday and Thursday.
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