For the last couple of weeks, I've been picking blueberries.
The first pick wasn't so bad, just a modest bowl-full. It took only a few minutes.
Well, that didn't last. Now the berries are ripening fast and I'm picking every other day (this photo is three days' worth of berries).
After I pick over the berries to remove any stems or blossom ends, I bag and freeze them.
The trouble is, it's been very hot here lately (102F yesterday), and I can't pick berries in full sun. Aside from the heat factor, for whatever reason I have a hard time telling ripe berries from nearly-ripe berries in full sunlight. That's why I prefer to pick in the shade. I can't pick early in the morning because by the time I finish milking Maggie, the sun is already on the blueberries. I've been picking late in the afternoon when a bit of shade falls on the berries from some nearby trees, but that only worked until the berries really ramped up production and the longer picking time started interfering with our evening chores.
So I rummaged around in the barn and found an old umbrella we used during our craft booth days. Propped up against the ridgepole over the berries, it's a compromise.
Here's the thing: The blueberry season has barely begun, and already I'm devoting 1.5 hrs every other day simply to picking. That's likely to increase even more, probably to two hours every other day. Last year, if you recall, we harvested just short of 60 lbs. of blueberries. I would not be surprised if we doubled that this year. (We've already let neighbors know we have berries for sale.)
So I have a lot of picking to do in the weeks ahead. Whenever I weary of the endless chore, I stop and give myself an attitude adjustment. How many people working cubicle jobs would do anything to spend a couple of hours in a blueberry patch? It helps change weariness into gratitude.
Honestly, I never expected the small bushes we planted four years ago to do this well ... and they're still not fully mature. How much more can these bushes produce? Time will tell.
What a problem to have. I thought 'umbrella' when you stated the problem...lol. I eat blueberries every day, but I have to buy them.
ReplyDeletePractical Parsimony above
ReplyDeleteWhat type of Blueberries do you have ?
ReplyDeleteWe planted 15 Chandlers, six Toros, three Patriots, and five Spartans.
Delete- Patrice
I can't seem to grow any blueberries, they have very little fruit or just die. Do you do anything special to yours. You named 4 different plants, which yields the most for you.
DeleteWhen we planted the blueberry plants, we prepped the holes with sand and compost, and also added a generous amount of peat moss (which gives acid-loving plants a boost). That, literally, is all I've done to the plants since then, except deer control and weed control (weedcloth anchored with gravel, then hand-weeding as needed). I water the plants daily during hot weather. Since planting them, I've never fertilized. Honestly, I don't know what I'm doing "right."
Delete- Patrice
So envious. I love love love blueberries. I used to pick wild ones here growing up, but that's gone because of new houses.
ReplyDeleteCan you invite people to come and do u-pick instead of doing it all yourself?
ReplyDeleteNo. Not only is it a liability issue, but I don't want people possibly damaging the bushes while picking (breaking branches, etc.).
Delete- Patrice
Ah yes, makes sense. I have a cousin with a u-pick farm, so that popped into my head, but that's a whole different set-up, I guess.
DeleteI LOVE blueberries! Best fruit ever.
ReplyDeleteAs I sit in my cubicle reading this, I thank you for sharing! Happy harvesting, I look forward to see what the final tally is for this year! -KinCa
ReplyDelete