Blackberries!

We're back in town after a week in Switzerland celebrating our 10 year anniversary.  Jake spent Sunday afternoon cleaning up the patch - mowing and weed eating.  There are tons of red berries on the bushes as well as many black ones.  If you're interested in picking this early variety, come on out :-)  

This variety will be ripe soon!

Thank you to all of you who have come out to pick blackberries in the first few days of the season.  The patch is currently picked out.  We'd hate for you to drive all the way out here and show up to an empty patch, so in an effort to save you the hassle, we're closing the patch until Wednesday.  There aren't many that are super close to being ripe, so it'll be several days before the patch recovers.

Blackberry Patch Opening Wednesday!

Thank you so much for a wonderful strawberry season!  Strawberry season has now come to an end and we're gearing up for blackberry season.

Our U-pick blackberry patch will be opening on Wednesday, June 12 at 7 am.  

Open: 7 am to 7 pm, 7 days a week, (season opening 6/12/19)

Where: 14489 Bethel Church Lane, Smithfield

Cost: $10/rectangle basket. Each rectangle basket holds 2 quarts. We provide the containers. This is all on the honor system, simply place your money in the black box near where you picked up your container.  

We have 5 different varieties of blackberries, which vary in size and when the berries are coming ripe.  The first of the berries are ripening, but they aren't all ripe yet.  As for picking conditions, they will likely vary greater during blackberry season than strawberry season.  We have less overall blackberries than strawberries, so it's more difficult to predict conditions from day to day.  During the season though, the patch should recover from a heavy picking every few days, so if you come one day and it's picked clean try back in a few days.  

Some people have asked us about taste testing while picking.  We certainly don't mind if you try a berry or two while you're filling up your bucket, but we'd appreciate it if you could keep it within reason :-)

Strawberry Patch Updates

The picking conditions have improved significantly in the strawberry patch.  The green berries I mentioned a week or two ago are ripening up and the patch is coming back.  The current density of ripe berries is similar to that of the first few days of the season that we were open.  I know it's hot as the dickins, but if you're interested in another opportunity to pick some berries, now is the time.  The heat really brings out the sweetness in the berries.  We've been enjoying frozen berries in smoothies & daquiris.  Tonight, Jake mowed the row middles of the front patch to make for easier picking, and he'll be mowing the back patch soon. 

Memorial Day Weekend

Hello!

Hope all is well with you & your family :-)

Status of the strawberry patch: Berries are coming back!  It's much, much easier picking than last week, but not as easy as it was in April. The berries have a bit more size on them than last week, and really sweet.  

Picked Out

Quick strawberry update - there aren't hardly any ripe strawberries in the patch.  There are still blooms & green berries, so we're optimistic the patch will bounce back, but for now, we're picked out. 

Strawberry Picking Update

Current strawberry patch conditions:  There are plenty of berries in the front patch and the back patch.  I just picked 2 baskets of berries - one in the front, and one in the back.  I had a better experience when I was picking in the back, because the back patch is cleaner with fewer overripe berries.  The front patch has more berries, but has more overripe berries as well, so you have to pay attention more.  With last week's heat, the berries are sweeter now than they've been all season.  That rain that we got Sunday dried up, so there's no need to worry about mud in the patch.  

How long will we be open?  Great question.  We estimate there's over 1,000 lbs. of ripe berries currently in the patch.  In addition, there are at least 5 green berries per plant...and there's over 10,000 plants...so with over 50,000 more berries yet to come, we should have strawberries throughout the latter part of May.  That being said, patch conditions can change radically from day to day due to weather/being picked.

U-Pick at 14489 Bethel Church Lane, Smithfield. Open 7 am to 7 pm, 7 days a week, $10/basket on the honor system, we provide the containers for free.