A Little Patch of Heaven

Huldy’s Farm readies for warmer weather with a fresh crop of strawberries well worth the wait.

Do you dream of making your own strawberry jam with berries you picked yourself? This April, pack up the family and head to Huldy’s Farm, a family owned and operated berry farm in Inola, about 30 minutes east of Tulsa.

“We are on a peaceful patch of land easily accessible from Highway 412,” said Owner Gwen Gay. “If the Good Lord permits, strawberries may be ready mid April with the warmer weather we’ve been having. We’re scheduled to be at the Tulsa Farmers Market April 8 and open for the season on April 10.”

This year, Gwen says the farm has 22,000 Strawberry plants, which equals out to about an acre and a half of plants. Each strawberry plant produces about a pound of berries.

The farm is prepared to accommodate visitors, with tables and chairs located near the picking area, folding seats available for a $1 rental fee to use while picking, free bottled water, and portable toilets. Huldy’s welcomes birthday parties and family reunions, and customers are always welcome to bring their own picnic lunches and snacks.

After picking, strawberries and blackberries are gently transferred from the picking buckets to cardboard flats, so patrons arrive home with berries intact. Blueberries are sturdier, so they are packaged in food-safe plastic bags when picked by customers and packaged into plastic pint containers when the staff picks them.

Gwen’s daughter, Erin, named the farm. Her grandparents had owned a 1955 Chevy Truck named Huldy – a nickname for a woman prophetess briefly mentioned in the Bible named Huldah who was strong in her faith in God. In March 2010, with the help of Erin, friends, neighbors, and Gwen’s Sunday School Class, the first patch of blueberries were planted. In the following years, Gwen and her husband Gerald added strawberries and blackberries to the farm.

During strawberry season, the farm will usually be open Monday through Saturday, from 8 a.m. until 6:00 p.m.  Please note that hours can change due to inclement weather and availability of ripe berries, so please call to confirm hours for the day you plan to pick.

Blueberries should be ready for picking by mid May, and the blackberries should be ready by early June.  By mid-June, the gate will usually close by 1:00 p.m.  However, if you want to make an after-hours appointment, Monday through Saturday, please call Gwen to schedule an appointment.