Tuesday, June 14, 2011

U-Pick Blueberries

My daughter and I picked blueberries a few weeks ago and we were able to pick about 2.5 pounds in less than 20 minutes.  It was easy for her (4 years old) to differentiate between the ripe and unripe berries. 

I know of two local places to pick blueberries:

Tabitha Max Blueberry Farms is west of town near Rockford on Road 208.  There are signs on the main road, but you will pull off the road a bit to park and grab a basket for picking.  This is the u-pick location we visited and I was happy to learn they welcome sampling while you pick.  The blueberries are amazing and are a great price too!  $2 lb. for u-pick and $3 lb. if they pick.  They ask you to bring a container (basket, box, bag) to take your berries home.  They are open 8am-8pm Sunday-Friday (closed Saturdays).  Their season is predicted to last until June 30th. 

Primarily Perennials by Denise is on Success Valley Drive near Lake Success.  I have not visited, but have heard this is another great place to pick blueberries.  They are pricier at $4 lb. for u-pick and $8 lb. if they pick (2010 prices).  They are open 8am-1pm Wednesday-Sunday. 


Blueberry picking tips:  pick during the cooler hours of the day, protect yourself from the sun, and unless you like mud squishing between your toes, wear tennis shoes (I personally would rather wash my feet than my tennis shoes). 

I can't believe how quickly we ate 2.5 lbs of blueberries.  I didn't freeze any, I didn't make any fabulous blueberry filled recipes, we just washed them and ate them.  Typically I try to "conserve" blueberries because they are outrageously expensive ($3 for a small clam shell at the fruit stand or grocery store--ridiculous!).  Do you have a delicious recipe using fresh and/or frozen blueberries?  Please leave a comment below to share your favorite blueberry recipe ideas.

Have you visited the Success Valley Drive location?  Please leave a comment to share your experience.

2 comments:

  1. The Success Valley Drive location is organic, or at least pesticide free. She has a wide variety of kinds. It's cool, she has chickens running around to keep the bugs under control. I've been to both, Tabitha Max was a good price, but it was much more commercial, and when I came out to pay for my 4lbs of berries, I had a hard time finding anyone. I liked the atmosphere and variety at Primarily Perennials by Denise much more.

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  2. Great info, I like hearing the comments on both locations

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