Strawberry season in North Mississippi is short and sometimes hot, but oh so sweet. And this spring Clear Creek Produce set a new record for strawberries.

Matt Britt, the farmer who owns and operates Clear Creek, put 28,000 strawberry plants into the ground back in the fall. That’s almost double the 15,000 he and his crew raised last year. For all the extra work, Matt says, the increase in production has helped him grow his business, especially while wrestling with the rainy spring weather.

“They’ve helped keep our workers busy and given us more to sell while we’re waiting for the soil to dry to break ground for the summer crops,” he said

All those extra berries have required additional hands. The Clear Creek crew has grown from three last year to seven regular pickers and a few freelancers this spring. 

The extra production has also helped push the farm to sell more at farmers markets and find new markets for its produce. Local artist and farmer Carl Blackledge, who helps run Clear Creek’s sales every summer, estimates he’s already sold more than 5,000 pounds of strawberries at the Hernando Farmers Market. That’s 700 pounds a week! And that’s in addition to what they sell at their regular sites. 

Besides Chicory Market, you can find Clear Creek berries at the Oxford Community Market and the Midtown Farmers Market. You can find them in the cakes at Sugar Magnolia in New Albany. You can find them at Piggly Wiggly in Bruce and BTC Grocery in Water Valley.

Carl has also sent strawberries to New South Produce, a regional distribution network based out of Memphis. 

“There’s no telling where you can probably find our berries now!’ Matt said.

Matt predicts the berries to keep coming until the end of May. Beyond that, expect to find onions, cabbage, broccoli, and cauliflower starting in early June. And the rest of the summer and fall will bring the usual Clear Creek bounty of homegrown tomatoes of all stripes, squash, zucchini, cucumbers, green beans, okra, and watermelons. 

It’s easy to eat local this time of year, thanks to Clear Creek Produce!