Jones Family marks strawberry anniversary in Shelton

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SHELTON – This week, Terry Jones of Jones Family Farms will celebrate a tradition he began 50 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, 50 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!”


This post is taken from a press release from Jones Family Farms.

Strawberries arrive early at Jones Family Farms

By Keith Padin

Director, Marketing and Hospitality

Jones Family Farms

SHELTON - The winter and spring seasons of 2012 were ones for the record books. 

 Record high temperatures, droughts, late spring frosts and freezes and weeks of misty rain have all added to a very unusual climate in southern New England. For several weeks area farmers have been trying to figure out what all this means for their crops. 

For Terry Jones, one of the longest-continuous strawberry growers in the Connecticut, it brings a picking season earlier than ever.
  “This is the earliest we’ve ever had people harvesting strawberries at our farm,” said Jones who has been inviting guests to pick their own berries at his Shelton farm since the 1960s. 

Jones Family Farms opened for pre-season picking Tuesday and will continue to pick through June – or as long as the berries last. “It’s a quick season,” Jones said, “once the berries turn ripe, there’s no stopping them. The season usually lasts up to four weeks.”
  One of the biggest challenges of strawberry season is public understanding of the time frames. 

  “Years ago, our strawberry season wouldn’t be in full swing until Father’s Day weekend” said Jones. “So, people still have that idea in their head – mid to late June for strawberries. Well, Mother Nature has pushed that time frame up considerably in recent years, and this year it’s especially early. Everything seems to be earlier and earlier every year.”

Connecticut residents planning to secure their annual strawberry harvest should look for information from their local farmers soon. The Connecticut Department of Agriculture lists many of the pick-your-own farms in the state on their website (http://www.ct.gov/doag/lib/doag/marketing_files/brochures/pyoweb2012.pdf) before you know it, the season will be over.

Jones Family Farms is located in off Route 110 in Shelton. For more hours, picking locations, picking tips and other information visitors may call the Farmer Jones crop-info line, 203-929-8425 or visit JonesFamilyFarms.com or Facebook.com/JonesFamilyFarms.