CLARKS SUMMIT, Pa. — Join Newswatch 16's Jeremy Lewan on his latest journey: to the strawberry fields at Pallman Farms in Lackawanna County.
From heatwaves to deep freezes, to wildfire smoke, to torrential rains, the strawberry crop has been through it all this season. And each of these weather threats has posed a different set of challenges for the fruit and for those who tend the 7 fields of "Pick Your Own Strawberries" that are spread across the 128 acres at Pallman Farms.
The strawberries at Pallman Farms have a very high "brix" (pronounced "brick") content—meaning they have a higher density of fruit flavor, or stronger sweetness, than the strawberries you can buy at the supermarket. But this higher brix content causes the strawberry to ripen quicker, preventing it from staying fresh long enough to be shipped. Thus, their sole operation is "Pick Your Own."
We had an extended dry period this past spring, with many of the counties in our region experiencing moderate drought. For 22 of the 31 days of May, there was not a single drop of rain reported at Wilkes-Barre/Scranton International Airport. But this was a problem Pallman Farms could handle, irrigating the rows of strawberries with water from their lake.
But this spring also had a number of days with high temperatures significantly above average, even hitting the earliest 90-degree day ever on record back on April 14th. This caused the plants to bloom early.
Then, in Late May, 3 separate frosts and a hard freeze plagued the field, with Pallman Farms reporting temperatures reaching as low as 24 degrees on the morning of May 18.
The freeze came just as the berries were developing, threatening the precious interior "popcorn" segment of the flower, or the part that becomes the strawberry.
In order to save the berries, Pallman Farms sprayed the entire field with the same overhead irrigation pipes they used to combat the drought, but this time to encase the flowers in ice. With this technique, they were able to save all the blossoms.
Protecting the berries from the extreme weather until they are ripe is just half the battle. You also have to have favorable weather during the 4-week harvest season from June and into July for people to want to come out and pick. Wildfire smoke and heavy rains during this period tampered down the turnout.
Despite all of the hardships, Pallman Farms remained resilient and produced a stellar strawberry crop for our locals and visitors. Many even came down from the Binghamton area to pick because many of the strawberry crops there were lost to that hard freeze on May 18.