Heritage Family Farms: June 2013

Saturday, June 29, 2013

Open Monday July 1

The farm will be open Monday, July 1 from 7:30 until 12 noon. The cooler temps will make for some nice picking. Also, please note that the farm will NOT be open July 4.

Friday, June 28, 2013

Open Saturday, June 29

We'll be picking again Saturday and with the cooler temps it will be a good day to come out and get lots of berries! See you soon!Saturday hours are from 7:30 until 12 noon.

Thursday, June 27, 2013

Friday June 28

We will be open for picking Friday, June 28 from 7:30 until noon. There are lots good berries that are ripening fast! Don't miss out!

Wednesday, June 26, 2013

Open Thurday

We'll be picking again Thursday,June 27 in the evening from 5-8pm. It's still good picking and the berries are nice and ripe. Hope to see you there.

Tuesday, June 25, 2013

Wednesday, June 26

The farm will be open Wednesday from 7:30 until 12 noon. There are a lot of berries ripe now and the picking is easy! Make plans to come and get some!

Monday, June 24, 2013

The farm will be open Tuesday evening June 25 from 5-8pm.

There are lots of berries ripe in the "jungle" rows. These rows have branches that are bending into the isles from both sides making it difficult to walk through. But, if you are willing to make the effort you'll be rewarded with some really nice berries.
Also, the two earliest rows still have berries that are smaller now but very sweet. These berries are great for using in muffins and pancakes so if you don't mind spending a little extra time picking them you'll have some great berries to use for baking.

See you at the farm!

Sunday, June 23, 2013

CLOSED Monday, June24

We apologize for any inconvenience but in order to provide the most berries for
everyone we need to let the field ripen. We won't be open Monday, June 24. We'll let you know if we'll be open Tuesday evening. Thanks for your patience.

Friday, June 21, 2013

Closed Saturday, June 22

So sorry but the field has been heavily picked and the berries that remain need time to ripen. We'll evaluate the field Sunday to see about opening Monday. Sorry for the inconvenience.

Thursday, June 20, 2013

Open Friday June 21

The farm will be open Friday, June 21 from 7:30
until 12 noon. The berries are plentiful and yummy so
plan to come out and pick!

Wednesday, June 19, 2013

Open evening of June 20

It was a great day for picking today and a lot of people came out to enjoy the first day of blueberry season! The farm will be open Thursday evening, June 20 from 5-8pm. Hope to see you there!

Monday, June 17, 2013

2013 Opening Day!

Thanks for your patience as we've waited an extra 2 weeks for the berries to ripen. We will be opening the farm for picking Wednesday, June 19 from 7:30 until 12 noon.
We will resume regular farm hours after that: M-W-F-S 7:30 till 12 noon. T- Th evenings from 5-8pm.
The crop looks great so plan a day to come and get a bucket or two of farm fresh blueberries.
See you at the farm!

FAQ

How many pounds in a gallon? About 5 pounds

How much is a pound of berries? About 3 cups

How many pounds will a bucket hold? Filled full a bucket will be about 5 pounds.

Do blueberries get sweeter after you pick them? No.

How long will frozen berries keep? Up to a year.

How long will fresh berries keep? 7-10 days in the refrigerator in a closed container. Dry berries keep longer.

How long will you have berries? This is hard to answer since there are variables that affect the length of the season. Mid July is a good estimate.

Why do you close the farm when your schedule says you would normally be open? Heavy customer turn out means there are more ripe berries taken off the field. The berries that remain need time to ripen and this takes a few days. We evaluate the field after each business day to determine if there are enough berries for picking the next day. If not, we close the farm. We sincerely apologize for any inconvenience.

PICKING--what you need to know

To make your berry picking experience more enjoyable here are a few tips to keep in mind.

We provide buckets with plastic liners.

Good pickers always pick a bush clean of ripe berries before moving to the next bush.

Two handed picking is most productive. Tie your bucket to your waist with string or through a belt. Pick with one hand, rolling the berries off the stems, place your free hand under the cluster to catch any that fall.

Bring your bucket to the office and we'll label it and put it in the cooler while you continue to pick.

Be courteous of other pickers. If someone is already picking on a bush please choose another bush to pick.

We will have some rows closed to allow the berries to ripen. Please pick only on the rows that are open. Closed rows will be marked. Thank you for your cooperation.

Storing Your Berries

When you get your berries home it's important to know how to store them.

Washing: Don't wash your berries until you are ready to use them. Moisture causes more rapid deterioration.

Cleaning: sort through the berries to remove any stems, leaves, and damaged berries soon after you get them home.

Refrigerator: fresh berries will last about a week in the refrigerator in a closed container.

Freezing: After sorting and cleaning the berries you can bag them in freezer bags and freeze. We found that berries frozen this way will not stick together. If you want to wash them before freezing them just be sure to drain them well before bagging and freezing.