There’s a lot you can do with blueberries.
They are a great choice when you find yourself in the middle of a food fight, thanks to the ability to throw a handful at a time, but what they’re likely best known for is being a delicious participant in baked goods like pies, coffee cakes, muffins, breads and scones. They also go great in pancakes and waffles, and you can add some blueberry maple syrup and blueberry butter (yes, it does exist) to go on top for the most blueberry filled experience of your life. Jams and jellies are popular recipe choices, and don’t forget about the ice cream. Is your mouth watering yet? Good.
So while we have your mind solely fixed on how you can get a few blueberries into your stomach in the shortest amount of time, it might be a good idea to mention that it’s blueberry season and the local pick-your-own farms have rows of bushes just waiting for you to find the perfect blueberries for whatever you decide to make. Just for the record, we’ve really been craving some coffee cake, but there’s no need to make it today. We’re in no hurry, we can wait a day or two.
And places like Apple Hill Farm, Carter Hill Orchard and Rossview Farm, are waiting for you. The process is simple – just tell one of the staff members why you are there, grab a bucket and pick a row. But don’t feel locked into one set of bushes, because you can spend as little or as much time as you’d like in the field. Make sure you wander around a bit – and don’t forget to sample a few along the way
Apple Hill Farm
Diane Souther and her husband, Chuck, purchased the land in 1978 and by the late 1980’s had the pick-your-own portion of their farm up and running. With raspberry season coming to a close real soon (call to see if they’re still available since it only lasts about three weeks), blueberries are what’s bringing everyone to the farm’s 580 Mountain Road location.
Currently, Apple Hill is host to 12 varieties of blueberries that will allow the farm to keep pickers coming until apple season begins around Labor Day. But just because the apples are ready in early September doesn’t mean the blueberries are done. If things go how Souther expects, blueberries will be pickable until the second week in September. Now that’s a lot of baked goods you could make for us.
“Blueberries ripe at different times,” Souther said. “Right now they’re plentiful.”
Apple Hill has 15 acres of berries and another 35 for apples, along with plenty of other fruits and vegetable patches that are only picked by the farm’s staff. But don’t worry, they’re available at the farm stand along with pies, donuts and other baked goods. So if you don’t feel like baking, let the people at Apple Hill do it for you.
“What we sell is what we grow here,” Souther said.
When it comes to blueberry picking, Souther said the early to mid-morning is when Apple Hill is at its busiest, but feel free to go anytime when they’re open daily from 8:30 a.m. to 5:30 p.m. And as far as trying a few straight off the bushes, Souther is okay with it.
“You’re welcome to sample, but we just don’t want you to make a meal out of it,” Souther said.
Rossview Farm
Back in 2001, Don Ross planted his first blueberry bush as a birthday present to himself. No word if he put a candle on it or if he used it to make himself a birthday pie in the ensuing years. That first year, he planted about 300 on the farm’s 85 District 5 Road land and now has a little more than 1,000 bushes made up of six varieties.
“It took 2,000 bushes to get that 1,000,” Ross said.
But maintained well, Ross shouldn’t have to plant any more bushes in the coming years, and that means plenty of blueberries for all of his customers to enjoy.
“Taken care of properly, you can get 30 years or more out of a blueberry plantation,” Ross said. “There’s a skill to growing things well.”
Earlier in the season, Ross had his strawberry crop picked over and is now in the midst of another good blueberry season. With a staggered ripening plan, Ross has most of his crop set to be picked in the middle to late part of the season, which leads him right into the start of fall.
“The middle of August is when the bulk of them come in,” Ross said. “I’m just heading into the prime of my season.”
And while there is about an acre of pumpkins, which you can also pick-your-own and make the scariest jack-o-lantern ever, the real fall push is to get everything set up for the large number of Christmas trees that will be cut down to go into your living room.
Ross doesn’t have a farm stand because he likes the idea of it all being pick-your-own.
“It’s the experience that I’m selling,” Ross said.
While a large chunk of the business comes on the weekend, many pickers can be seen during the early to mid morning hours.
“People have a weekly ritual,” Ross said.
Carter Hill Orchard
After opening for the season just a few weeks ago, owner Rob Larocque and his staff are ready for the busy season ahead.
There are a ton of blueberries on the bushes and the raspberries are going strong as well. With two acres of bushes for berries, covered by a fancy looking blue net that can also act as a play pen for young children and to keep the birds out, there’s plenty of varieties to chose from at Carter Hill (73 Carter Hill Road). And expect it to be that way for at least the next month.
“You can get a lot of bushes in two acres,” Larocque said. “And there’s plenty of blueberries and raspberries.”
The whole pick-your-own idea came about in the 1980’s when Larocque managed the crop producing land for another farm in Londonderry. His family purchased it and changed the name to Carter Hill in 2000 and now offers a ton of options when it comes to picking the right fruit.
“People nowadays are looking for things to do with their family,” Larocque said. “[Berry picking] is not like apples where you can pick a bag in five minutes, it takes time. And the kids can sit there and eat as many as they want.”
So in addition to the pick-your-own (fruit) adventure, there’s a pretty sweet playground and gazebo to hang out in, along with a farm stand for those just looking to pick their own fruits and veggies without going out into the farm.
Only about 5 percent of the blueberries are early season, and just another 10 percent come to fruition in the middle.
“We really focus on late season berries,” said Larocque.
And while you’re riding the wave of berries, don’t forget to start looking out for some of the other pick-your-own fruits beginning in September – apples and peaches. Carter Hill has about 50 acres of apples and another 10 of peaches and plums. Also in the fall, Carter Hill is home to wagon rides (don’t worry they’re not the haunted kind) and some great hiking trails for foliage.
“There’s a trail that goes from here to the Audubon,” Larocque said.
