by erin thursby scopes1925@msn.com
Now is the time to head to a u-pick blueberry farm and get a relatively cheap pound of the stuff. Instead of paying $3-4 for a tiny portion, you can pick your own to use fresh, can or freeze for further use.
The season started late this year because of a frost during April that killed many of the first blooms. Luckily, most blueberry bushes have multiple blooms, so there’s plenty to pick at a few of the farms. Sellers Blueberry Farm, here in Jacksonville, suffered from the frost and is closing to the public till next season.
Two of the largest blueberry farms in the area, Blackberry Hill Farm and Dowless Blueberry farm, still have loads of blueberries on their bushes.
Despite the name, Blackberry Hill doesn’t offer blackberries. It’s difficult in Florida to cultivate blackberries and wild blackberries are too sparse to offer to the public. They do have 3-4 acres of blueberries and will have muscadine grapes available in August. When you go, be sure to put your name and email address on their list, so you can be alerted when the grapes or blueberries come in. Another unique feature of the farm is that they offer honey from local bees. They used to keep bees at Blackberry Hill, but with warnings about invading Africanized bees coming from the Department of Agriculture, they decided to sell the bees to a local keeper. That local keeper provides them with the honey they sell and the owners don’t have to worry about kids getting stung by aggressive bees.
The Dowless Blueberry Farm is an appealing place to pick your berries. Stewart and Irma Jane Dowless run the place and they seem to treat everyone like a member of their extended family. There’s a charming farm house adjacent to where they weigh the berries. When pickers are waiting for the rain to let up, they’ll sit on the porch swing and look out at the yard’s quaint landscaping and ancient oak. Besides u-pick blueberries, they also have locally grown cucumbers and tomatoes for sale. I came away with a bag of each. The tomatoes are so good; you’ll never accept supermarket tomatoes again.
At both of these family-owned blueberry farms, the folks there are happy to answer questions and share recipes.
--Get to the farms as soon as they open. Most blueberry pickers are early risers, so you might find some patches to be picked over by mid-afternoon.
--Hone your picking strategy. Look high on the bush, as most blueberry pickers tend to pick low on the bush. Also, look into the middle of the bush, since pickers often miss these as well
--Bring cash. I’ve never been to a berry farm that accepted credit or debit cards. Some accept checks but it’s best just to bring cash. Expect to pay from $1-$3 a pound. Bring more money than you think you’ll need because the pounds add up fast and they often have other foods/produce you can buy.
-- When freezing blueberries, make sure they are dry beforehand. If not, towel them dry. The safest thing to do is to freeze them on a cookie sheet, so they won’t clump together.
Blackberry Hill (2995 Thunder Road, Middleburg, FL (904) 282-9250) is open on Saturdays from 8 am-4 pm and on Tuesdays and Thursdays from 5 pm until dark. They also sell local honey and will be selling grapes in August.
Dowless Blueberry Farm (7010 Ricker Road, Jacksonville, FL (904) 772-1369) is open from dawn till dusk on Saturdays and Wednesdays. They also sell other locally grown produce.
Howard’s Blueberry Farm (4200 Bronko Road, Middleburg, FL (904) 282-1182) will be opening to the public on the 16th.
Agricultural Canning Center (2525 Commonwealth Avenue Jacksonville, FL (904) 387-8860) is the place to take your blueberries for canning. They hold classes on making blueberry jam on June 21 and 22 at 9 am for $20, which includes supplies.
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