Business & Tech
Pick Blueberries at Miller's Blueberry Farm in Watkinsville
Blueberries are ranked among the top fruits and vegetables in antioxidant activity.
Saturday, June 9 is the first full day of blueberry season at Miller's Blueberry Farm in Watkinsville. Miller's Farm offers guests the opportunity to pick their own blueberries for $2 per pound, buckets are provided. The picking officially started on Tuesday, June 5 for just a few hours but Saturday will be the first full-day picking is allowed.
Before you head out on a blueberry picking adventure, here are some tips that might just come in handy. Miller's Farm will provide you with a bucket but you may want to take a plastic bag along to line the inside of your container. Look carefully for a good bush, common sense will tell you that at a public farm the better bushes are usually further to the back. Finding good berries is pretty easy. Good berries are generally round, blue and do not have cracks in the skin. Berries with a hint of red are not yet ripe and white and green berries will not ripen after they are picked.
To pick a berry just roll it right off the stem. If the berry doesn't come off the stem easily it is probably not ripe yet. If you find a good clump of berries just cup your hand around them and rub them gently to loosen them. Unripe berries will stay on the stem and ripe berries will fall right off. A good blueberry picker should be able to accumulate around 1 gallon of berries per hour. Did you know you shouldn't wear sunglasses when picking berries? The tint often times causes you to pick berries that are not yet ripe!
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Once you have your berries do not leave them in a closed bag or container and do not wash them until you are ready to use them. Refrigerated berries will last for 10 to 14 days and you can even freeze blueberries (do not wash them first or the skins will toughen).
All ages are welcome at the Miller Blueberry Farm where Saturday there will be two varieties of irrigated blueberries to choose from. The farm will be open on from 7:30 a.m. until 7:30 p.m. and guests may call ahead for more information and unexpected closings (706) 769-4161. The farm is located at 1371 Union Church Road in Watkinsville.