Blueberry Picking Techniques

First of all you have to have a bucket. You will soon want to have a few with you as the berries are so good that you never get enough, especially when you start freezing them, cooking them for jams and sauces or, my favorite, putting them in the blender with various things for a morning liquid breakfast and treat. Anyway, even if your first intention is to just get enough for your breakfast cereal, you will likely get carried away and want more and more and more. We all do!

There are all sorts of bucket carry methods. Some have replaced the bail of the pail with a strap and hooks so they can sling it around their neck, over their shoulder or even around their waist. You can get an adjustable luggage strap, with a heavy shoulder pad and non-slip grip, from the luggage store. It already has the end hooks, which can be attached to the pail, and such a strap can be had about twelve bucks. Just take off the bail and figure a way to attach the hooks to the pail. You can experiment with all sorts of carry arrangements.

Some of the old-timers, like my Pop Pop, used to lace their belt through the pail and just let it hang as they walked around each bush and picked until it was full. He had both hands free to pick that way. Who would ever want to pick with only one hand? That's way too slow! When I was younger I hung the bucket around by neck on a big soft rope. Now I use the luggage strap method and change it around all the time for comfort and utility. I think most people just hold and move the pail or slip one arm through it to the elbow, like you would carry a purse while paying the cashier.

Most folks seem to look for those giant blueberries (or any other berry they are picking) and often leave all the small and ordinary ones. I like the ripest fruit the best, by far. I have been known to go to where the bushes have already been picked a few days earlier and get the ready-to-burst ripe berries. Some scientists say that a fruit is not fully nutritious until the moment it is ready to fall to the ground as a seed carrier. I am that way too. I prefer all my fruit when it is so ripe that I just touch it and it falls into my hands. The complex chemical changes in the plant that turn the fruit into a perfect food for the seed occur just before it falls to earth and that is when I want it for my body's use.

I like the fruit plump, juicy and cool! I eat a LOT as I pick, so for me the very best time of the day to pick is the cool of the early morning, as early as I can arrange it. There is no better way to start the day than picking blueberries in the field and having a belly full of fresh berries for breakfast. I just give the cashier more money to pay for all the berries I eat while picking. My favorite picking fantasy, and one I've luckily enjoyed a few times, is picking at sunrise in a heavy cool dew and staying at it 'till the warming sun has burned off the last of the wetness and I'm full as a tick on a hound dog's ear.

The cool of the evening is another good time to pick, when the sun has had the entire day to nourish the leaves and push that good juice into the berry. I love the feel of the cool air and the warmth of the sun burned soil coming up in my face, when I pick berries in the cool, late, afternoon or early evening! Personally, I am not a middle-of-the-hot-sunny-day picker. Some like it hot. I don't. There is something special about having a couple of full pails of blueberries beside me as I travel home in my vehicle at sunset.

Blueberries are a delight to pick, at Ryan's Blueberry Farm, as they are tended in rows with good walking spaces in-between. The thorns are not a problem like they are on other berries, or some of the wild berries at the edge of fields and woods. At Ryan's I can wear a T-shirt, shorts and even sandals if I want. As I am not a heat of the day picker, I don't need the big straw hat. If you pick middle of the day, to do your berry harvesting, bring a big cool hat and sunscreen.

Some of my favorite times have been when I've picked with children or a friend. I have a bad back so blueberries are nowhere near the trouble that strawberries are! What a relief that is! Still, for berry picking, I like to bring my lightweight folding stool or chair. Nearly weightless folding stools and chairs are available at K-Mart, WallMart or outdoors stores like Sunny's Surplus. In the old days, lots of folks around here used to bring the milking stools with them or even a folding card-table chair to move around the bushes with. They weighed a lot more than my folding stool that I got from a hunting store where they sell them to the dove hunters.

As I am only interested in the ripest of the berries, I only seek those that are deep, dark, and blue all over. They aren't ripe till they are deepest blue. It's that deep blue that has all the miracle ingredients that makes blueberries one of the healthiest foods on earth! Let the immature blueberry-children grow -- leave the unripe ones to ripen is my motto.

Like all fruit that I'm aware of, the ripe berries are ready to fall off the bush and the unripe ones need some pulling and tugging. When the kids are with me, I tell them that if the bush is moving much when they pull the berries, the berries are not ripe. Sure, the unripe berries will get more blue if you set them in the sunlight, even after you pick them. But, I doubt that they are getting all the same nutrients from just the sun that they would be getting on the plant if they stayed there until they were done. The bush ripened ones seem to be a lot sweeter to me.

I look forward to being spoiled again this year, with fresh and nutritious berries from the farm. Those ones in the store just don't make it for me, unless that is all I can get.

Source of Article: http://www.kate-jody.com/essays/blueber rypicking.html

car service from Midway Holland ...

In The News:

The US Army fired Javeline anti-tank missiles from seven-ton robots during a series of war preparations at a recent exhibition in Fort Worth, Texas

We're on our phones all day long. But that means our data is vulnerable to many. There are ways to reduce what hackers can access and protect yourself.

A biometric smartphone app aims to make life easier and more secure by finding a new way to prove you’re who you say you are online

Google pervades our everyday lives. We use it for everything from calendars to our email and document storage. There are ways to maximize these daily uses.

Facebook whistleblower Frances Haugen, who has detailed how the tech company failed their ethical obligations, launched a nonprofit to solve social media harms.

In order to add the Fox News widget to an iPhone lock screen, an iOS 16.0 operating system update is required. The Fox News widget includes the day's top stories.

Google Chrome is one of the most popular browsers in the world. There are easy ways to get even more out of the user experience with some simple tricks

We all use technology every day. Eventually, some of it will frustrate you or not work as well as it used to. Here are some tips on how to keep devices working.

A growing number of police departments are turning to new mobile apps to help cops streamline the job, allowing them to better serve their communities.

Kim Komando shares five suggestions on how to make you feel more safe at your home with helpful apps and tips on how to install a security system.

Hackers are a pressing concern if you spend your life online. They can steal your information, identity and access your bank account. Here's how to stop them.

A new study from the University of Texas at Austin found that people who share articles online tend to be overly confident in the subject matter, even if they hadn't read the article.

GPS apps are on everyone's phones and a daily facet of life. They can be tracked however. There are ways to get around this and increase your privacy.

Hackers are more prevalent than ever. To outsmart them, you have to know their ways. Here are some of those ways and how to circumvent those who want your data.

Old film photos can contain treasured memories. But they're not the easiest to maintain. However, there are apps that can help you scan them into your phone.

It's back to school time for a lot of young kids. The world has changed since many parents were in school. There are many ways to monitor your child's activities.

Wifi routers are crucial to be able to access the internet and everything that you pay for. There are ways to check the status of your router or buy a new one.

Streaming costs are continuing to soar as more services hike their prices. There are ways to blunt that cost on your wallet. Here's some easy tricks.

Tech companies know more about you than you may think. Here are some easy and quick tips to hide your private information, as well as handy links for how to do it.

The Samsung Unpacked event happened on August 10, 2022, unveiling the new products added to the Samsung line including two new phones, an updated Galaxy watch and updated buds.

Blueberry Picking Techniques

Nutrition Nutrition