Kelder’s Farm in Kerhonkson opened for strawberry picking this weekend with a few precautions in place due to the coronavirus pandemic.

What You Need To Know

  • Families headed out to strawberry fields for Father's Day

  • Kelder's Farm set up extra precautions to keep customers safe while they are picking strawberries

  • Customers were asked to purchase tickets online before visiting the farm
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“We [wanted] to [do] an online ticketing service that allows you to [buy a ticket online to] enter and allows us to manage the number of people in the strawberry patch, so we can socially distance and be safe," says Chris Kelder, owner of Kelder’s Farm.

Along with the requiring masks and social distancing in the strawberry fields, Kelder is also making sure everyone is safe on their way out.

"We also have gone to hand washing and hand sanitizing on the way into the strawberry patch and on the way out of the strawberry patch. And we ask people [to] wear masks when they are not able to social distance," Kelder says.

But even with the extra safety measures in place, the summertime staple drew in dozens of families to the pick-your-own farm, just in time for dads to head outdoors to spend time with their kids.

“Everyone's so happy to be outside and enjoy the fresh air and enjoy the sweet delicious strawberries and something that they can do with their hands after being cooped up for so many, so many weeks away from people,” Kelder says.

Kelder says there's about another week of strawberry picking still available; after that, the farmers move on to raspberries, blueberries, and other crops. More information can be found on the Kelder's Farm website.