A couple drove from Savannah to northern Effingham County this week so they could pick 46 pounds of fresh strawberries that they will freeze and enjoy for the next year.
Marj Schneider and Don Moss said they have picked strawberries at Hodges Farm, just off Ga. 21, for the last five years.
Schneider said it’s getting harder to find locally grown food. “We like buying local,” she said.
The strawberries likely will be available for picking through the end of May, and blackberries will be ready from then through June.
The farm is open from 8:30 a.m. to 6 p.m. Monday through Saturday and from 1 p.m. to 6 p.m. on Sunday.
The farm often is the sight of field trips for Effingham school children, who get to see a working farm, enjoy a hay ride, play with goats and pick fresh strawberries.
Visitors can pick strawberries for $1.50 a pound. For those who don’t want to pick their own, strawberries that already have been picked are available for $10 a gallon or $20 a flat.
Owner Eddie Hodges said he’s been selling strawberries on about 2 acres for 16 years. He urged customers to check with him this fall because he has planted a new variety that should bear fruit in the fall.