This Saturday We are off to Harvest Blueberries! While Strawberry picking put Pungo on the map, July's Hot and Humid Weather has a little known secret - its combination of heat, rain and sunshine are prime conditions for producing natures candy - buckets of ripe and deliciously colorful blueberres. A perfect photo opportunity if I ever saw one.
Once you arrive in Pungo just follow the roadside Signs and Arrows - A short bike ride away from BackBayBotanicals is a neighboring farm called Pungo BlueBerries Etc. We just grab hat, bucket, and camera! We pedal the path down muddy creek, passing horse farms, and cattail filled ditches. berries here we come. The berry farm, being in business for the last 25 years knows a thing or two about harvesting.
After our winding bike ride, we arrive at pungo blueberries and proceed to weigh-in the buckets , and gather some friendly advice on where to start our harvesting. After the 411 from the booth attendant, we enter into the rows of bushes and walk a few rows back to find some unharvested plants off the beaten path. The great thing about blueberry picking is that the fruit is right at arms length, and the bushes provide a nice touch of shade, so no bending down required. The fruit is so easy to pick, you can drag your hand over the leaves and and reach the tip of the branch with handfulls of the little blue morsels, directing their fall right into the bucket. (well most make it in the bucket!!)
Notice the telephone poles around the farm? They are there to support e cathedral ceiling of blue tinted netting, a must-have to protect the fruits from all the birds and wildlife that would otherwise delight in the free buffet.
A few photo opportunities later, our cup runneth over! We are stocked up and ready to weigh in. (luckily they dont do a before and after of the customers! haha) I here they charge extra for blue tongues!
A whole bucket of blueberries for only $8. At the grocery store, I am sure this amount would have cost $30-$40 without a doubt. I am sure to be back by next week to have plenty to freeze.
The only problem with blueberies is that there is are too many fruits and not enough recipes. Everyone has a favorite - Panncakes? Muffins? Pies? Preserves? Fresh or Frozen blueberries make a perfect addition to a Smoothie! Yum.
Fresh bowl of blueberries
Back at the house, I have made my muffin Christopher, some blueberry muffins. Dont miss out - July is the time to stock up - The great thing about blueberries is that they freeze well.
The End!
Oh yeah, did i mention they were full of anti-oxidants?
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