WATERLOO - One in the mouth. One in the box.

One in the mouth. Two in the box.

You get the picture.

Beverly Hunter of Waterloo confessed to eating a few plump strawberries early last week while picking at Heartland Farms just northeast of Elk Run Heights. Her friends nearby were just as guilty.

"OK, you just caught me," Hunter admitted after being nabbed red handed. The evidence was in plain view. "They just taste so good … and you get red lips."

Hunter and her friends say they've been looking forward to the monthlong strawberry season so much that exercising self control and waiting until they get home to eat really isn't an option.

Strawberry growers aren't worried about a little free foraging by customers. Giving a few free samples away is good business - it allows people to find out which varieties they like. Growers say there are plenty of strawberries to go around.

Northeast Iowa strawberry farms are reporting a good crop. Not necessarily a plant-buster for all, but a good one nonetheless. With two to three weeks left in the picking season, growers say there should be plenty for everybody.

"We've got a good crop. I've had better, and I've had worse. I kind of doubt we'll run out," said Dave Myers, owner of Heartland Farms.

Weather curtailed production a bit, Myers said. Plants still are recovering from last year's persistent rains, and cool temperatures this spring didn't help. On the bright side, Myers said, cool temperatures may prolong the season a bit and helped the quality of the crop.

This year Myers experimented with using a Plasticulture system on some of his 8 acres of strawberries. Plastic helps keep plants and fruit elevated.

"You get bigger fruit and better quality when they're not on the ground. And it's a little easier to pick," Myers said.

Shelly Bagge, co-owner of Bagge Strawberries a couple of miles northeast of Independence, said her 12 acres are "on overload" with fruit. She opened early last week, about a week later than normal.

Bagge encourages people to sample her strawberries while picking.

"It doesn't bother me. They'll just start tasting and not even think about it. Different varieties have different tastes," Bagge said.

Pick-your-own strawberries at Bagge's are $1.20 per pound. At Heartland Farms, it's $1.59 per pound. Picked strawberries are more expensive.

According to the Iowa Department of Agriculture and Land Stewardship, the state's 150 strawberry farms generate nearly $3.5 million in gross income.

To Hunter, cost is secondary to taste and fun. She primarily makes strawberry shortcake and jam.

"Plus I'll just take a bowl in the living room to watch TV," Hunter said. "The berries are excellent."