Blueberries? (Bangor, Milo, Dedham: power lines, home, living in)

[starwalker]

I have looked through a number of sites listing farms to try to find a place to go pick a quantity of blueberries this coming weekend... seems that I am going to have to travel a bit one way or the other from the Milo/Bangor area.

Anyone happen to know, off the top of your head, somewhere that you would put forth as being "the closest to Bangor area" u-pick blueberry farm??

[Northern Maine Land Man]

Not many high bush blueberries in Maine. Our blueberries are not picked. They are raked with special hods and poured into 5 gallon buckets. Then in a production operation they are winnowed to blow the sticks and leaves away. Sometimes in lower Maine you can find high bush blueberries along power lines.

[starwalker]

Originally Posted by Northern Maine Land Man

Not many high bush blueberries in Maine. Our blueberries are not picked. They are raked with special hods and poured into 5 gallon buckets. Then in a production operation they are winnowed to blow the sticks and leaves away. Sometimes in lower Maine you can find high bush blueberries along power lines.

I was actually looking for a pick-your-own farm.. are they all wild (lowbush) as well? Call me "from away", but I pick even the little berries by hand, or at least I have thus far. Seems to me that raking them gets the ripe AND the unripe... I understand they have to do that for a commercial operation, but for my own self, I think Mother Nature appreciates me doing it my way. I will get three pickings off the wild patch I found...

[Maineah]

Originally Posted by starwalker

I was actually looking for a pick-your-own farm.. are they all wild (lowbush) as well? Call me "from away", but I pick even the little berries by hand, or at least I have thus far. Seems to me that raking them gets the ripe AND the unripe... I understand they have to do that for a commercial operation, but for my own self, I think Mother Nature appreciates me doing it my way. I will get three pickings off the wild patch I found...

I'm with you! NMLM is talking about commercial operations. I have a blueberry rake but I've never used it. It's too much of a pain in the butt to clean the berries afterwards. We get all the blueberries we could ever want for free just walking the powerlines down here in the southern section of the state. In fact I'm going tomorrow as they are already in. The place we go has both high and low bush berries(contrary to NMLM's assessment there are a TON of high bush ones around here!) so you can pick what you want. The place is loaded with them and you can usually get about a gallon an hour picking by hand. Two or three gallons is plenty for us for the year. We freeze them on single layers on cookie sheets and when frozen vacuum seal them and put them back in the freeezer. Freezing them first keeps them from being crushed and they keep real well like that. DW measures them into cups and I vacuum seal them. She made a pie out of last years berries last week and you would think we had just picked them.

[fxtrader]

Originally Posted by Northern Maine Land Man

Not many high bush blueberries in Maine. Our blueberries are not picked. They are raked with special hods and poured into 5 gallon buckets. Then in a production operation they are winnowed to blow the sticks and leaves away. Sometimes in lower Maine you can find high bush blueberries along power lines.

We used to pick blueberries along the power lines in Dedham off of Bald Mountain Rd. This is about 20 min. from Bangor.

[AlisonL]

Jj,
If I still lived in Maine, you would be more than welcome to come to my (old) home and pick. We had about 2 acres of wild blueberries out back under the powerline.
Trying to remember if any places in your area.

[starwalker]

Originally Posted by Maineah

I'm with you! NMLM is talking about commercial operations. I have a blueberry rake but I've never used it. It's too much of a pain in the butt to clean the berries afterwards. We get all the blueberries we could ever want for free just walking the powerlines down here in the southern section of the state. In fact I'm going tomorrow as they are already in. The place we go has both high and low bush berries(contrary to NMLM's assessment there are a TON of high bush ones around here!) so you can pick what you want. The place is loaded with them and you can usually get about a gallon an hour picking by hand. Two or three gallons is plenty for us for the year. We freeze them on single layers on cookie sheets and when frozen vacuum seal them and put them back in the freeezer. Freezing them first keeps them from being crushed and they keep real well like that. DW measures them into cups and I vacuum seal them. She made a pie out of last years berries last week and you would think we had just picked them.

I do the same with blueberries, both wild and tame.

[Maine Writer]

When I get raked berries by the lug I take the big fan outside, pour the berries slowly in front of the fan and let it blow out the twigs, leaves and green berries.

[Maineah]

Originally Posted by Maine Writer

When I get raked berries by the lug I take the big fan outside, pour the berries slowly in front of the fan and let it blow out the twigs, leaves and green berries.

We used to fill the sink up with water. The green ones and little red ones float to the top with the sticks and leaves and you just skim them off the top.

[ExAirForce]

You all are making me jealous... after 14 years living in Europe (original Mainer) I actually found fresh blueberries in an off the beaten path produce store. Not from Maine I am sure but oh so good.