When our friend KK mentioned two days ago that she was going blueberry picking on Saturday, my sister and I perked up at the idea. We grew up going strawberry and peach picking in South Carolina, but neither of us had ever been blueberry picking. And, we had no idea that there was a farm just 15 minutes from our house.
Up early in an attempt to beat the heat (though that’s not to say that it wasn’t hot and sweaty already), the three of us, along with my sweet little nephew Xander, drove out to the blueberry farm. My nephew is only four months old and though he hasn’t even started on solid foods yet, we figured it’s never too early to start teaching your child about fruits & veggies… right?
We pulled up the gravel drive and stopped at what looked like a little storage barn to pick up our bucket for picking from two country men stereotypically sitting in rocking chairs. It’s only $10 for a 1-gallon bucket of blueberries. How sweet of a deal is that?! I hopped out to grab our buckets and was also given a bungee cord so that you could hook the bucket around your waist or wear it across your shoulder while you picked. Not exactly making a fashion statement with that one, but at least it makes it a little easier (unless you are my sister, at which point you will bend over while the bucket is slung across your body and blueberries will subsesquently tumble from your bucket, at which point you will bend over to pick them up as more continue to fall out… in that case you’re best just using the handle).
We parked, I put my nephew in the Baby Bjorn (because I’m obsessed with carting him around in it) and we started picking. KK, who is a serious picker with a strategy, had her own bucket, while Jenn and I shared one.
Jenn and I decided that we needed to taste-test at most of the bushes to see if we were picking from the right ones. I darted from bush to bush, trying to get a good mixture and calling for my sister every five seconds so I could drop blueberries in the bucket, while KK would scout out a good bush and pick all the good berries from it.
When my sister and I had our bucket halfway filled, KK was nearly finished. Jenn & I blamed our slowness on having the baby in tow. Xander loved looking around at the people and the scenery and tried to snatch a blueberry or two of his own.
We wrapped up our blueberry picking trip and headed back to pay.
All in all, we spent about an hour at the blueberry farm. It was the perfect way to spend a Saturday morning before heading off to the pool for the afternoon. Not only do I love fresh blueberries, but I can’t wait to try some new recipes like blueberry smoothies or perhaps blueberry jam (my favorite!).
Blueberry season in the U.S. is from late May to late summer. If you’re looking to go picking in Columbia, check out Double A Farms. To get there, head out on Bluff Road past the USC football stadium for about five or six miles and it will be on your left. Address: 5412 Bluff Rd Columbia SC 29209.
Do you have a blueberry recipe for me?
Ooh, my mom used to make blueberry freezer jam and I LOVED it. I’ll have to ask her how to do it!
We put blueberry in almost every salad. It is very healthy and tasty. Very nice shorts!
I grew up in a valley and we picked strawberries in June through mid-July and then blueberries for the rest of the summer. I cannot imagine not picking them myself!