Looking for a place to pick your own strawberries in Massachusetts? Check out our listing of local farms and orchards for a location near you.

Strawberry season typically starts at the end of May and extends through mid-July, however, the best time to pick strawberries in New England is in June.

When selecting your strawberries, look for 75-100 precent red covered bodies with vibrant, green tops. Strawberries should be glossy and firm. Once you get your stawberries home, sift through them and disgard any soft or mushy berries to avoid creating any off-flavors. Don't wash or remove the tops until you are ready to eat. Refrigerated berries will keep for a a couple of days. 75 percent red strawberries will ripen in a day if placed in an open, shallow container and set out at room temperature. If you are going to freeze strawberries, freeze only those that are ripe (bright red) and still firm. 

If you know of a local Massachusetts farm where visitors can pick their own strawberries, This e-mail address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it and we will add them to our listing.

Maple sugaring season in New England is a sure sign that spring is on its way. The sweet smell of pure maple syrup permeates the air as residents and visitors make their way to one or more of the many maple sugar shacks in New England. Generating nearly 500,000 gallons of maple sugar per year, Vermont is the largest producer of maple syrup in New England and in the United States. New Hampshire produces approximately 90,000 gallons of maple syrup per year followed by Massachusetts which produces about 50,000 gallons of maple syrup per year.

Sugaring in New England was first discovered by the Native American Indians, who taught it to New England's first English settlers. The Native American Indians called this candied sap, "sinzibukwod" which translates to "sweet buds". The Indians used maple syrup as an ingredient in their stews, teas, breads, and even vegetables.  Cooking with maple syrup is still popular today. It is used in everything from maple baked beans to maple ice cream.

The process for making syrup hasn't altered much over time. A metal pipe or spile is driven about 2-1/2" deep into the trunk of a Sugar Maple or Hard Maple tree. A bucket is then hung just below the pipe to catch the sap as its flow starts and stops. In order to get a suitable flow, a Sugar Maple's trunk needs to be about 10 to 12 inches in diameter. It usually takes a Maple 40 to 45 years to grow to this girth. Unbelievably, it takes anywhere between 40 to 43 gallons of sap to make just one gallon of pure maple syrup.

Just off the Mohawk Trail on Route 2, Hager's Farm Market is located in Shelburne, Mass. Stretched across 650 acres of picturesque New England landscape, the property boasts an impressive 13,000 maple taps, 160 milking cows, hardy, Hereford hogs and cattle and a well-established orchard of apples and peaches. Locals and out-of-staters come to Hager's to experience the fresh, home-grown taste of New England. Although dairy products, smoked bacon, sausage, and home-baked goods, breads and pies are among their customer's favorites, Hager's true niche is their specialty maple products. Offering traditional maple items like maple syrups, creams and candies, Hager's also adds a sweet twist with their maple-coated almonds and peanuts, maple brittle, granulated maple sugar, and a spicy maple dip. Seasonal best-sellers include Hager's maple soft-serve ice cream, available during sugaring season in the early spring, and their maple raspberry shake, available during the hot summer days. Not to be forgotten: ample harvests of native fruits and vegetables and, come November, farm-raised Thanksgiving turkeys.  
Hager's Farm Market is the culmination of five generations of tradition, toil and love. Like many of their industry counterparts, Hager's attracts a following of individuals who not only believe supporting local businesses and sustaining the land is a good thing, but also share a strong sentiment for surviving and thriving family farms in New England. Being one such individual, I was inclined to learn more about the Hager family history. Recently, I had the opportunity to  speak with Kim Stevens, part of the Hager family's fourth generation, about the who's-who of the Hager family heritage, evolution of their farm, and what it’s like to be a farmer in New England today.

Steamed lobster...sweet, buttery, fresh and tender with just a touch of fresh lemon and cilantro...Mmm...Mmm...goood...that's how I like my lobster. With the Atlantic Ocean in it's backyard and over 5,000 miles of coastline, the cold, clean, rocky waters of Maine are a playground for lobsters and harvesters alike. In fact, did you know that over 90% of our nation's lobster sold today comes from Maine? Prior to the mid-19th century, lobster in New England was considered a poor mans food. Back then, lobsters were large ( some up to 40lbs !), plentiful, and cheap. Often, it was a free-for-all as the lobsters simply washed up in piles along the shores. As immigrants from Europe started to populate New England, the taste and popularity for lobsters quickly grew giving rise to new industry and innovation. It was a real rags to riches story as this spiny bottom feeder became a delicacy only the elite and well-to-do could afford. Soon entrepreneurs created outdoor, seaside kitchens to attract the upper-class as they sailed along the New England coastline. Chairs and tables were placed  around giant fire pits where steamed lobster was served up on beds of seaweed to incoming patrons...thus giving birth to the first lobster shacks.