yikes, blueberries.
You all know how I feel about the local food. I've been wanting to pick blueberries for years, and I've heard a lot about this place. So this morning I checked the picking report, woke the kids up early (8:20, people. I love my late-sleepin' babies.) and we headed out.
Now don't get me wrong. The farm is large and lovely and there's a lot for the kids to do. But oh man. It was crowded. I mean CROWDED. Crowded at 9:30 am. Crowded like 2 bus loads of children and maybe 100 cars. Crowded like if you find a bush with lots of ripe berries, keep your mouth shut, your head down, and pick quickly. More than once I saw people giving each other the stink eye for honing in on their bush.
I suppose I'm just used to the quaint goodness of my favorite strawberry patch, peach and apple orchards. This was a crazy mad house. mad farm. You get the picture.
Anyway, my kids didn't find it very enjoyable, but it was a long drive so we toughed it out and filled a few buckets. And on the very bright side, we're looking forward to blueberry muffins, cobbler and maybe even blueberry ice cream!
Comments
I'm imagining the ripe berry wars that could break out...
Posted by: Ali | July 7, 2009 5:39 PM
i hope your little army of 'late sleepers' were busy pickers to compete with the stink eye folks.
oh, blueberry muffins. say no more.
Posted by: heather smith jones | July 7, 2009 6:29 PM
THE best blueberry cheesecake ice cream recipe is from Cooking Light: http://find.myrecipes.com/recipes/recipefinder.dyn?action=displayRecipe&recipe_id=1206178
It's my favorite way to use fresh blueberries!
Posted by: kayla_d | July 7, 2009 8:34 PM
Yes, it is a busy place! I left home at 6:30 a.m. in order to be there at 7 and there were already quite a few folks out picking! However, I didn't have any kids in tow so it was O.K. I'd say it was worth it for the nice stash of berries I took home.
Posted by: Leslie | July 8, 2009 7:21 AM
i'm sorry it wasn't the best experience. i find that given even great conditions (less crowded), my girl is more of an apple or peach picker than a berry picker. fill a bucket in 10 minutes... fill a bucket in an hour...
i actually leave her home for blueberry picking now (she's still down with the strawberry picking), and just enjoy the time to myself. we do make jam together once i get home... oh, the systems we work out as mamas. ;)
Posted by: heather | July 10, 2009 10:17 AM
My kids and I used to strawberry pick every year and we came back dirty, hot, bug-bitten and then - had the best time enjoying the strawberries. Grand memories!
Posted by: Claudia | July 10, 2009 5:27 PM
We don't have a u-pick blueberry farm here -- maybe the climate for them is not quite right? But our u-pick strawberry farm can get like that. Crowded and crazy!
I'm jealous of your fresh blueberries, though!
Posted by: Grace | July 16, 2009 9:24 AM
I remember doing this once when I was young, in Northern California, and I don't recall anyone else being there. Could have to do with the place, or the time. But I'm amazed too at how crowded the strawberry patch was when we went.
Posted by: Tracy | July 23, 2009 9:32 AM