Blueberry Picking

This year, I have been trying to turn our food focus away from processed foods and into the direction of whole and (if possible) sustainable and local.  This is a much harder task that you would think.  MOST foods found at the grocery store are highly processed and full of preservatives to keep them shelf-stable longer and thus more convenient. 

**that being said, we are NOT being militant about our food, just trying to be more aware**

I have had the opportunity to try a variety of locally grown or sourced produce options this year.  One of the places we have found is The Berry Lady (berryladyfarms.com), who grows and packs blueberries and boysenberries. I love that this particular farm welcomes visitors to come and learn about the process of berry picking and packing. 

Unfortunately, this was the last tour they did for the season, and I am not completely sure they will be doing tours next year, but they do offer a great place to buy fresh picked berries!

First, we sat down and listened to a short presentation on blueberries.



And then we were off to pick!  We were able to pick several different varieties of blueberries directly from the bush and learn a little about them in the process.
Hannah really enjoyed the taste-testing and had her favorite varieties all memorized!
Blueberries are not labeled into their different varieties when they are packed, but the different varieties are harvested at different times in the spring.  Some are truly much more tasty than others!

Finally, we went back to the packing house where we saw the buckets and buckets of freshly picked berries be seperated and run through a machine that kicks out the 'bad ones' and shoots the 'good ones' into their little containers. 
This particular packing house does not send their berries to cold storage, but once they are picked they should last about a month in your refrigerator.  They can also be frozen in large gallon sized bags, but don't wash them before freezing!
**So does that mean the berries at the grocery store were picked a month ago when they start to go bad the day after you take them home?**

While it was a very warm day, the kids truly had a fun time!  I am hoping that we are able to go back to the Berry Lady farm next spring and hopefully see her at the Kaiser Farmer's Market on Wednesday mornings!

**She also has some AMAZING dried blueberries that are made with NO SULFER, they are like eating pure candy!**