MONETA, Va. – It may look a little different, but area strawberry farms are finding ways to keep “you-pick” options open.
This is the first week A & E Farms, formerly known as Scott’s Berry Farm, in Moneta has been open for strawberry picking.
There are new rules pickers must follow due to coronavirus, but the owner Alice Morgan says she’s just happy to be open for business after losing 100% of last year’s crop to heavy rain.
After two bad years for strawberries, Morgan was not going to let coronavirus be the cause for a third in a row. The farm is requiring all pickers to wear masks and gloves for the protection of patrons.
“Even though it’s out in the open field, if you don’t have on a mask and you sneeze or you got a cold, the wind is going to blow it and other people are going to pick right behind you," Morgan said.
The new rules are no problem for Ashley Glaze and her family.
“We all brought our masks and gloves and came out this morning,” Glaze said, “And it’s just great to get out of the house and being together and doing something as a family. We’ve gone back and looked at pictures here recently having the time at home and seeing pictures of our family out here picking,” Glaze said.
Weather permitting, the strawberry season usually lasts about three weeks. Frost is in the forecast for this weekend, but Morgan says they have an irrigation plan in place and aren’t too worried.