Blueberries? (Rockland, Etna: agricultural, land, county)

[Maineah]

There's no real easy way to pick them. It takes time. You can try shaking them into a small open container then dumping them into your bucket. If they're ripe it works, though marginally. We wash them and pick out the sticks and leaves then freeze them on cookie sheets. After they're frozen we vacuum seal them as the frozen berries don't crush under the vacuum. Then back to the freezer until the snow flies.

[rockky]

Aha!! Thank you very much, Maineah. I have a vacuum sealer and have not formed the habit of using it. I totally forgot about the dern thing.

Your method sounds great and may justify the expensive food saver purchase.

Gotta get busy. I really don't want to waste these berries.

Originally Posted by Maineah

There's no real easy way to pick them. It takes time. You can try shaking them into a small open container then dumping them into your bucket. If they're ripe it works, though marginally. We wash them and pick out the sticks and leaves then freeze them on cookie sheets. After they're frozen we vacuum seal them as the frozen berries don't crush under the vacuum. Then back to the freezer until the snow flies.

[Maineah]

Originally Posted by rockky

Aha!! Thank you very much, Maineah. I have a vacuum sealer and have not formed the habit of using it. I totally forgot about the dern thing.

Your method sounds great and may justify the expensive food saver purchase.

Gotta get busy. I really don't want to waste these berries.

We have two Food Savers and love them! I bought the first one for processing deer and moose though we've used them for lots of other stuff over the years. Great for fast marinating meats for the grill. They really work well with the berries. Good luck.

[RMoore007]

Big Blueberry is watching you.



I eat a bowl of blueberries a few nights a week. They aren't the best tasting out here but they're supposed to be good for me. Something about helping my innards from internal corrosion and rust I think.

[moughie]

Originally Posted by RMoore007

Big Blueberry is watching you.



Something about helping my innards from internal corrosion and rust I think.

LOL!!!!
So you do not need to call Rota-rooters!

[peachie_in_maine]

Originally Posted by Maineah

After they're frozen we vacuum seal them as the frozen berries don't crush under the vacuum. Then back to the freezer until the snow flies.

I never thought about that. That's great!

[Maineah]

Originally Posted by peachie_in_maine

I never thought about that. That's great!

It works great for anything like that. You can even do stuff like Lasagna and containers of stew then just pop them into boiling water for 20 minutes and it's just as good as the day it was made. Excellent for camping.

[Trailmonkey]

I saw a PYO blueberry sign today, i think it was $2.00

on 143, south of Etna

[genmomto5]

Originally Posted by rockky

Hello, to the Maine blueberry connection! We are in the Pocono Mountains of Pennsylvania and have several wild bushes in our back yard. We moved here in the spring of 2007.

Our bushes are loaded this year!!! As a matter of fact, I sorta have the willies of pickin' 'em. I can't believe I said that though. I pass up those little containers in the grocery store because of the cost. Yeah. I need to go pick.

Does anyone have any idea why this has been such a good year for blueberries? I thought it was because I tied foil cake pans with faces drawn on them to the bushes so the birds and squirrels didn't clean them out. Duh! Well, I do think they may have helped some.

Is there a picking technique that would make the job go faster? The bushes are in a scrubby area, outside of the landscaping, between us and the lake...not the most fun place to stand for long periods of time.

Do you freeze them on trays after washing, and then put them into bags? Or do you just put them into the bags and freeze them?

Any blueberry tips would be appreciated! Thanks!

Oh man, my earliest blueberry picking experiences were in the Poconos. You just brought me right back. We would row out to an island in the lake where my friends family had a vacation house and pick to our hearts content. No idea how to pick faster. Not eating while you pick may be a start. I can't help it though. The sun warm berries are impossible to resist.

[KiddinAroundFarm]

Originally Posted by Trailmonkey

I saw a PYO blueberry sign today, i think it was $2.00

on 143, south of Etna

I will say thank you on behalf of Starwalker and myself... we are going to be sure to check this one out! More blueberry picking in our future, I see it clearly! (That is, if I ever have time between working online now, farming, moving my parents, and taking care of the house, lol)