Weekend Gardening: Blueberries

June 11, 2011

theresafriday.jpgBlueberries are ripe for picking. So take the kids on an adventure and enjoy the freshness of local produce by visiting a u-pick farm. U-picks allow visitors to harvest their own fresh fruits and vegetables.

U-pick produce is grown in your own community and is crisp, sweet and loaded with flavor. With fewer than one million Americans now claiming farming as their primary occupation, farmers are a vanishing breed. Local farmers who sell direct to consumers cut out the middleman and get full retail price for their food – which means farm families can afford to stay on the farm, doing the work they love.

U-pick blueberry farms are scattered throughout the North Escambia area. Contact your local Extension Office for u-picks in your area.

Every farm is a bit different. Some have more relaxed rules, others more strict. But at all the farms, remind the kids that plants are living things to be cared for and respected, not abused. The farmer feeds his family and pays his bills from the well-being of these plants! So here are some general farm guidelines:

  • Follow all rules posted by owners at their picking locations.
  • Look for the check-in and check-out areas. Note whether you will be charged according to weight or volume.
  • Health codes usually require no pets in the fields.
  • Always call in advance to find out if the fruit/vegetables you want are available, to get directions, to check their opening and closing hours and to ask if children are allowed.
  • Walk in the rows, don’t step on plants! Some farmers frown on stepping across rows, even if you do it carefully.

When you arrive at the farm, take some time to explain to your kids how to identify and pick ripe fruit. Select plump, full blueberries with a gray-blue color. A berry with any hint of red isn’t fully ripened. White and green colored blueberries will not ripen after they are picked. Unripe berries should be left on the bush because then they will turn into ripe berries for you to pick when you bring your friends back in a couple of weeks time.

The general rule when it comes to blueberries is “the bigger, the sweeter”. A fully ripe blueberry should easily come loose from the plant. If it takes any appreciable pressure to pick them, the berries aren’t fully ripe. It is best to pick blueberries by gently rolling each one from the cluster with the thumb into the palm of the hand. When picking is done this way, the berries that aren’t ripe will not come loose.

Once picked, don’t place the berries, still warm from the sun, in a closed bag or container. Leave the container open so moisture doesn’t form. Don’t wash the berries until just before using to prevent berries from becoming mushy. Chill berries soon after picking to increase shelf life. If refrigerated, fresh-picked blueberries will keep 10 to 14 days.

For more information, contact Theresa Friday at 850-623-3868 or email tlfriday@ufl.edu. Friday is the Residential Horticulture Extension Agent for Santa Rosa County.

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Written by Jane · Filed Under FEATURE TOP STORY, Features, News