U-Pick Raspberries

It's berry season and time to head out to the organic berry farms for u-pick berries. This has to be my most favorite non-toxic entertainment of the summer. The scenery is gorgeous, the air is clean and berry pickers are always happy and smiling. My kind of environment.

I love the atmosphere in a berry field. You can hear people around you, but you can't see them. Their voices sound far away and echo a bit which adds to the ambiance. It's being alone with people. I enjoy that, strangely enough.

Every age group is out in the fields. Parents with children talking about the pies they will make,  teenagers picking berries as a summer job, seniors discussing their jam and jelly-making secrets.  It's fun to hear the grandparents teach the little ones how to pick:

"Be sure to pick the berries that are nice and red. No, that one is white. You know the difference between the colors white and red. "

 Or...

"Grandma, the bottom of my bucket is almost covered!"

"See, my bucket is almost full."

"Why do you have more than me?"

"Because you are eating more than you are picking." (hahaha)

I also enjoy listening to other people's conversations. They know everyone can hear what they are saying because of the echo, but no one seems to care. They talk about all kinds of personal things and lots of community gossip. People who live out of the area have come back for a summer visit with the family and a nostalgic trip to the berry farm. They often run into those they went to school with years ago. They talk about what they've been doing and gossip about everyone else.

These berries aren't mine. I was impressed.

The berries, however, are huge and it doesn't take long to fill a flat.

It took me about 15 minutes to fill these two containers. I don't pick a lot at one time because I like them fresh. I do freeze some, but once frozen I don't think they are as good. I still have a gallon in my freezer from last year.

Organic berries in the store are costing abut $4.00 - $5.00 per pint and don't look nearly as good.

My two containers weighed in at three pounds (about 6 pints) which cost $3.75 TOTAL. What a deal!

This farm is also a huge dairy farm with lots of gardens, too. This year the owner started a program with the local junior high and the students planned a huge sunflower patch. They look much better than mine! She said they use cow manure as fertilizer, but she didn't say what kind of slug killer she uses. Probably chemical-based? They do say their berries are organic....hmmm...but I don't know about the rest of the farm.  Normally you can hear the peacocks in the distance, but I didn't see them this time. The owner gives away the plumage when the birds are molting.

Next week my favorite berry farm opens: BLUEBERRIES!!