Strawberries - 8 quarts- Pick up day Thursday, 6/13/24- FARM PICK UP
An 8 quart flat of strawberries reserved for you to pick up from our roadside farm stand on Thursday, June 13th between 9 AM and 12 noon.
For logistical reasons, this year we are not accepting advanced orders more than a few days in advance. This way we can adjust predicted availability based on field conditions and the weather. If you see that our website is sold out, please considering checking back the day before and see if we have added availability.
We will have staff on site from 9 AM-Noon, helping to make sure your order is filled.
Strawberries purchased online are not meant for retail sale at a farmstand, farmers market, or grocery store. We currently have a limit of no more than 6 flats per order. We reserve the right to limit the number of flats purchased by any individual.
Frequently Asked Questions:
1. Do I need to order my strawberries in advance? Due to high demand during especially the first few week, we are suggesting advance ordering for entire 8 quart flats of strawberries. This system should be convenient especially for customers who drive from a distance to our farm, and/or like to make plans in advance. It is possible to come to our farmstand without pre-ordering at 9 AM purchase individual quarts. We'll try to keep the stand stocked until 11 AM, but cannot guarantee how long we can keep them in stock. We suggest that customers looking for an entire 8 quart flat DO pre-order to help guarantee availability, OR come early (between 9 AM and 10 AM) while we are still picking.
2. Where do I go? Our farmstand is located at our farm at 7990 E Horn Road, Lake Leelanau, MI. We are located approximately 1 mile north of M-204 on Horn Road (about halfway in between 45 North Winery and Aurora Cellars Winery). Look for the big red truck planted with flowers in front of our driveway.
3. What if it rains? Please be sure to leave a phone number and email address where we may reach you. If we are unable to fill your order due to weather, or any other reason, we will refund your order and offer an opportunity to reschedule if possible.
4. Can I just order over the phone by calling Bardenhagen Berries at 231-271-3026? No. While in the past, we have taken orders by phone, and had customers picking up strawberries from the warehouse on our farm, since the 2020 season, we heard how much everyone LOVED the new system, so we are keeping it! From our end, it was also much more efficient.
5. What if something happens and I can’t pick up my berries? Unless we are rained out, we are not offering refunds once your berries have been picked and are waiting for you in our farmstand. If you are running late, please look in the farmstand for the flat of strawberries marked with your name on it. Our farmstand is not air conditioned. If you can’t make it for some reason at the last minute, please try to arrange to have someone else pick up your berries in your place. If you need to cancel or reschedule your order, please contact us at least 36 hours in advance by calling 231-271-3026.
6. WHERE ELSE CAN I FIND BARDENHAGEN BERRIES?
· Visit our farm stand after 9 AM during strawberry season
to purchase quarts and/or entire 8-quart flats. We will plan to have the farm
stand staffed and stocked during this time. While we plan to keep the stand
stocked, we suggest coming before 10:30 am in order to better guarantee we haven't sold out. For many, this approach may be more convenient than pre-ordering - and allow for more last-minute shopping!
· Visit us in person at any of the farmers markets where we plan
to vend during strawberry season. (Tuesdays-Glen Arbor; Fridays-Northport;
Saturday & Wednesday- Traverse City).
· We hope to be able to supply some local grocery stores with our
strawberries. Places to look for our berries include Gallagher's Farm Market, Hansen's Grocery, NJ's Grocery and the Leland Mercantile.
7. Do you offer U-Pick? We have not offered it in the past, and do not plan to offer it this season.
8. Who picks the strawberries? We are very grateful to offer employment to a crew of between 15 and 20 mainly migrant workers from Texas, Florida, and Mexico that help harvest the berries during the short 2-3 week harvest season. Picking strawberries is hard work and we believe deserves to be paid well. We hope you agree. This is one reason Bardenhagen Berries may sometimes cost more than other strawberries.
9. Are your strawberries organic? No. Our strawberries and cherries are grown conventionally. We work hard to the least amount of pesticides as possible. We use organic practice in our vegetable crops, though we are not certified.
10. What does Bardenhagen Berries do to protect the
environment? We can’t really list everything, but here are a few things. We are one of the few farms in Michigan certified with the Michigan Environmental Assurance Protection (MEAP) area in all three areas: Farmstead, Cropping and Wildlife & Habitat. Our strawberries are grown in straw, not plasticulture like mass produced strawberries from California, Mexico, and Florida. Mass produced strawberries also typically
fumigate their soil between crops with toxic chemicals. We practice crop rotation and “biofumigate” our soils with cover crops that naturally help to repel some problematic soil organisms. Our farm has a 42 kWh solar array that produces at least as much electricity as our farm uses annually. Our 180 acre farm is protected from future development through a conservation easement with the Leelanau Conservancy. For berry packaging, we are working to avoid plastic as much as possible, using more expensive cardboard and paper packaging.
11. What are you doing for food safety? Our farm has an extensive food safety program which involves frequent handwashing, sanitizing of harvest equipment, employee training, traceability of product, and much more. As with all produce, we recommend washing our strawberries before consuming.
12. What is the best way to store my berries if I am not going to use them right away? If not using right away, we suggest storing in refrigerator. For the longest possible storage, do not remove caps or wash first. Click here for more suggestions. For maximum enjoyment, we suggest enjoying the same day they were picked, and then buying more!
13. What is a good way to enjoy Bardenhagen Berries in the
winter? Simply wash, remove caps (green part), arrange in a single layer on cookie sheet and put in freezer. Once frozen, transfer to resealable freezer bags to store and enjoy in your favorite recipe (smoothies, jam, etc.) during the rest of the year!
14. Thank you for supporting local!