The blueberry bushes are kicking into gear! Each year we go back and forth on one of our perennial farm questions – to net or not to net. This year the ayes have it and the crew spent a couple days this week covering the blueberry patch with bird netting. That means there should be more fruit for you, so we’ve put blueberry flats on the webstore and set some dates for Blueberry U-Picks. You can order flats of blueberries for this week up to 5:00 PM Tuesday (see Announcements below).
If you prefer to pick your own, you are invited to come out and pick blueberries on June 1st and/or June 15th between 10 am and 2 pm. Please bring your own containers if possible. Friends and family are welcome too. No charge for entry. Blueberries cost $6/lb. You do not need to be a current CSA subscriber to come to the u-pick. We recommend close-toed shoes and long pants. Please come only during the designated days and times and plan to arrive in plenty of time to wrap up your picking by 2:00. Find directions here.
What do you do with a bucket full of berries? Blueberry muffins, blueberries on pancakes, blueberry jam, frozen blueberries for snacking on or for smoothies, berries with cereal, berries with yogurt, handfuls of berries for eating plain… Here are some tips from Chef Andrew Cohen about storing large amounts of blueberries: “I keep mine in the refrigerator in a plastic tub lined with paper towels on top and bottom with a tight fitting lid, and I try to eat them within 4 days. If you find yourself with a surfeit of blues, lay them on a flat pan and freeze them. Freezing them flat keeps them from forming big clumps and allows you to take out only what you need. Once frozen, transfer to a zipper bag and suck out the air before freezing. Do not wash the berries before freezing as this will make the berries mushy.”
As long as I am talking berries, with the substantial rain we got this week, you may find that your strawberries do not last as long as usual. If you are not a fast strawberry eater, consider freezing them, making smoothies or making some freezer jam (see recipe below) as soon as you get them.
Enjoy, and I look forward to seeing some of you at the U-Picks!
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