Sunday News: For strawberry lovers, it's go time: U-pick spots to jam your face full
Sandwiches in History arrives July 1, International House is the play in Theater District
Strawberry picking is dangerous. Once you genuflect in the sandy aisle of a field to pluck ruby orbs of sun-warmed nectar, you will come to rue the eleven-twelfths of the year that are not strawberry season.
You will grudgingly halve supermarket clamshell berries to remove their wooden interiors, and have a little sad for the lack of maroon-stained fingertips.
Better to have loved and lost, strawberry fans would tell the U-pick-curious. There are a few weeks left in Western New York’s strawberry season, and growers will be selling them at most farmers markets.
Gather ye strawberries while ye may, I say. U-pick makes those strawberry galettes, jams, and ice creams personal. Plus it supports local farmers, who generally make more per pound from U-pick, given labor costs.
As a teenager, I spent a couple strawberry seasons as a professional picker, so here’s some tips if you’ve not done this before. Wear a hat and sunscreen. Bring water or other non-dehydrating beverages and hydrate faithfully. You can still get sun stroke on cloudy days. Ask me how I know.
You gotta get low. The best berries hide. Just cherry-picking the big ones hurts your karma, so pick all ripe berries, cleaning out the row for the next picker.
You’re gonna spend most of the day on your knees. Wear pants or kneepads if you have to, but your back will thank you.
Strawberries grow best in sandy soil. That means you’re bringing home dirty strawberries. Don’t wash them until you’re ready to eat them. Then fill a big bowl with cold water and drop them in, giving them a stir to remove the grit and other non-edible material.
After their bath, the strawberry peak experience window lasts a day or two. So use them or freeze them or jam them up. Refrigeration helps, but the clock is still ticking.
Ready. Set. Pick.
Greg's U-Pick Farm Market and CSA
9270 Lapp Road, Clarence Center, gregsupick.com, 716-741-4239
Fields open today, Sunday June 22, at 8 a.m., read post.
Erdle Farm
12229 Hanford Road, Silver Creek, 716-410-0599
U-pick now closed but reopening early July with strawberries, blueberries, and possibly raspberries.
Hours will be 8 a.m.-5 p.m. daily. Watch Erdle Farm Facebook page for announcement.
Abers Acres
884 NY-394, Kennedy, abersacres.com, 716-267-2431
Organic strawberry fields opened to pickers Thursday.
Thorpes Organic Family Farm
12866 Strykersville Road, East Aurora, thorpesorganicfamilyfarm.com, 716-655-4486
Closed Sunday, but open Monday through Saturday.
Luna Farms
3408 Murphy Road, Newfane, lunafarms.org, 716-912-7267
Open today, Sunday Jun 22, noon- 4 p.m. Picking field is about 1,000 feet north of the farm’s street address. Cash only.
REVIEW: Woo Chon Korea House is Buffalo’s gateway to Korean barbecue, the picky carnivore’s choice for dialed-in caramelization and crispiness on every morsel of sweet soy beef bulgogi or spicy pork dwaejibugogi. Unlike other local Korean BBQ dispensers, Korea House’s gas grills give Western New Yorkers a taste of Seoul food. (Tuesday, for patrons.)
Sandwiches of History, Buffalo edition
Who doesn’t like to talk about sandwiches? If you want to spark conversation in a Buffalo room, just ask who thinks they know where to find the best beef on weck, and step back.
Barry Enderwick went ahead and made it into a career on the Internet, with Sandwiches of History. The former Netflix marketing director arrives in Buffalo July 1 at Buffalo Improv House.
He’s invited me to join him on stage for a session of Sandwiches of History. Not to fanboy overly, but Enderwick has been a personal inspiration, as a fellow balding, middle-aged white dude trying to make a career of talking about food on the Internet.
He was a graphic designer who became the head of Netflix marketing. Now he’s got a cookbook, 324K followers on TikTok, 362K on Instagram, and 75K on YouTube, so he’s quite a bit ahead of me.
He did start in 2018.
“I love food, I love cooking, and I'm very curious about everything, including cooking,” Enderwick told me. “I still have a review channel for interesting flavored potato chips from around the world, called In the Chips with Barry.
Then a friend of mine sent me a PDF of ““The Up-To-Date Sandwich Book” of 1909.”
I thought this might be kind of fun to just do on social media and see how, you know, see if anybody else thinks it's interesting. And it didn't start off great, because I didn't do it the way I'm doing it now. Eventually I figured it out. It took off on and on Tiktok and then on Instagram.”
“this was not a planned event,” Enderwich said. “I honestly didn't quite get it when it started to take off on TokTok. Why people were so interested in seeing a middle-aged guy, picking apart sandwiches in his kitchen? Beyond middle-aged, probably at this point.
“But anyway, it took off.”
To land July 1 at Buffalo Improv House, in the former industrial complex at 255 Great Arrow Ave., Suite 207. Tickets for sale here, $25 if you’d like to sit down, $20 to stand. (As I said, Enderwick has accumulated something of a posse.)
We are both fressers and talkers, a pairing natural as pastrami and mustard.
For pre-show hungers, consider Tortuga, the Central American champions of sandwiches, salads, grain bowls, and the Colombian dulce-de-leche sandwich cookies called alfajores.
ASK THE CRITIC:
Q: I'm taking my 2 sons (aged 10 and 15) to Shea's in a few weeks, In prior years, we'd go to Toutant or Dinosaur BBQ before the show, as they were within walking distance of Shea's. With their closings, do you have any recommendations for nearby restaurants that I can take them to, that would still be within walking distance?
Ben Czekanski, via email
A: Heck yeah. Number one Theater District recommendation, before and after everything, especially with people on the younger side: International House, 617 Main St.
Casual food hall of world cuisines has plenty of choices for all diets and pickiness levels. Full bar (Flamant Rose), six cuisines: Mexican (La Divina Tacos), Ethiopian (Abyssinia Ethiopian Cuisine), Thai and Burmese (Pattaya Street Food), South Sudanese (Nile River), and Filipino (Pinoy Boi).
Here’s my suggestions on the must-orders at each restaurant, if you’re not familiar with their offerings.
Also catnip for the active-minded: Buffalo’s only public ping-pong tables, plus darts, bumper pool, and comfy seating areas.
After so many restaurant operations fizzled in the space, proprietors Mark Supples and Amy Taylor have changed the vibe.
Open 11:30 a.m.-8:30 p.m. Tuesday-Saturday, bar and tacos open later.
More reading from Michael Chelus:
Brian gave us more details of the forthcoming Chander Street Breweries from Thin Man and Community Beer Works [Buffalo Beer League]
The Seneca Beer & Wine Festival will take place at Seneca Niagara Casino on 7/26 & 7/27 [Buffalo Beer League]
Andrew gave us a recipe for Southeast Asia's favorite dessert - Mango Sticky Rice [Four Bites]
Francesca wrote about SoulFresh Salad Bar and its owner, Khadedra Brown [Buffalo News]
Ivy gave us the 2025 edition of her Toronto Restaurant Roundup featuring Piggy's Island, Caffino, The Radici Project and more [Buffalo Spree]
Brian's Buffalo Beer Buzz gave told us about a new collaboration between Magic Bear Beer Cellar and 42 North, the release of Wayland's first ever barrel aged beer and more [Buffalo Beer League]
Brian also wrote about the legacy of BriarBrothers Brewing as it reaches its third anniversary [Buffalo Beer League]
Newell also wrote about Chandler Street Breweries [Buffalo Rising]
Savoy will reopen in the space that formerly housed Deep South Taco in downtown Buffalo [Buffalo Rising]
Chef Jen Boye gave us the story behind Jett's Bagels at the Broadway Market [Buffalo Spree]
Sandy told us how Tim Herzog - founder of Flying Bison Brewing Company - is staying busy in retirement [Buffalo Spree]
The Nickel Plate earned the Outstanding Community Partner award from Buffalo Public Schools [Buffalo Scoop]
Brett told us about Olcott Lobster Co. [Step Out Buffalo]
#30#
For the love of whomever you choose, eat the greens on those strawberries; lovely bitter contrast to the sweet summer berry. Loaded with vitamins to boot!
I have fermented Spoth's berries with honey to make mead. Outstanding. Also, the sweetest berries we have ever tasted were on Isle d'Orleans near Quebec City. They were practically a different fruit.