Today was our annual trip to the blueberry farm. The month of April has flown by and we almost missed our chance to pick buckets of berries to bring home. We didn’t make it to yesterday’s Bostwick Blueberry Festival, but Facebook assured us the bushes were still filled with large, ripe berries. We picked up our two Florida grandsons after church and made the drive out to the farm.
Last year’s picking was good, but since it was later in the season, this year was even better. The clouds kept the temperatures down, Saturday morning’s rain was mostly dried up, so it was a great afternoon to pick.
It’s fun to listen to all the conversations going on as families stand between the rows of bushes, picking blueberries.
- “Whoa! Look at this one. This is the biggest berry ever!” (I heard that at least a dozen times.)
- “I’m glad I wore my boots. I stepped right into that mud puddle.”
- “Don’t pick the green ones. They’re too hard and sour. Only pick the purple ones.”
- “Marco!” “Polo!”
- “I’m going to eat all the berries.”
- “Hey, stop throwing those.”
- “I heard that someone picked fifty pounds of berries last week.”
- “This bush is really full of them. You can just stand here and fill your bucket.”
- “How many have you eaten?”
- “Watch out; you almost dumped your bucket.”
- “My bucket is way fuller than yours.”
The farm reported that one picker took home fifty pounds of blueberries one day last week. Our load of ten pounds seemed like a lot. Was it someone who owned a bakery? Or took them home to share with neighbors? Maybe they resold them by the side of the road.
Some friends of ours told us about another blueberry farm that forbid pickers to eat any. Posted signs said it was a federal offense to eat any berries before purchasing them. You won’t see us at that farm. I probably ate a pint while filling my bucket.
The bushes were filled with white and green berries yet to ripen, so the harvest will continue through next week. For now we’ve got all the blueberries we need for pancakes, muffins, scones, smoothies, and maybe some jam.
Waite for it... 