This week, Terry Jones of Jones Family Farms will celebrate a tradition he began fifty years ago as a young teenager: setting out thousands of baby strawberry plants.
“I guess you might call it more of a ‘Strawberry Red Anniversary’ than the typical ‘Golden Anniversary’ that honors a half century of tradition,” said Jones. “Since it takes a year for the plants to begin production, it’s a two-year celebration. In 2013, we are recognizing the 50th anniversary of planting the ‘Queen of Fruits’ and 2014 will mark the 50th harvest!”
Jones remembers well that day, fifty years ago, when he set up the strawberry transplanter on his new Farmall 140 tractor (still in use today!) “My late aunt, Ruth Jones, and my cousin, Melissa, sat on the machine feeding the tiny strawberries into the plant pockets. From my vantage point on the tractor seat, I looked back down the row and they were all upside-down with the roots pointed skyward,” Jones chuckles. “We’ve learned a lot over the years!”
According to the Connecticut Commissioner of Agriculture, Steven K. Reviczky, Terry Jones may be the state’s oldest commercial grower having continuously planted strawberries for 50 years.
Two aspects of strawberries have remained constant over the last half-century, according to Jones. First, the consistent challenge of the weather. This spring is no exception. The last week of May started with 28 degrees and frost at Jones’ ‘Valley Farm’ and ended with three days of highs in the mid-90s. In both cases, the plants and fruit were protected by irrigation sprinklers. “The second constant,” says Jones, “is the excitement and passion of our farm guests to harvest and to taste the sweet goodness of the first, ripe strawberries of the season!”
Jones’ strawberries are ripening now, as they normally do in early June, in contrast to last year’s record early start in May.
Jones Family Farms is located in Shelton, Connecticut, off Route 110. For more information regarding hours of operation, picking locations, picking tips, and other information, visitors can call the Farmer Jones crop info line at (203) 929-8425, visit the Jones website at www.jonesfamilyfarms.com/farm/strawberries, their Facebook page at www.facebook.com/jonesfamilyfarms, or follow them on Twitter at www.twitter.com/jonesfamilyfarm.