Ask Jen about picking berries

Do you pick your own berries? I do… well, I used to before life got crazy busy. I miss it. Picking blueberries was always a summertime ritual for me, my BFF and her mom. We did it for years, and loved every minute of it. And especially loved to reap those rewards!

From a little trial and error, as well as the experts at www.pickyourown.org, here are a few tried-and-true truths about picking berries.

Picking tips:

Pick plump, full blueberries that are light gray-blue in color. Berries that are red, white or green aren’t fully ripened. Red blueberries will usually ripen after they’re picked if kept at room temperature, but white or green ones won’t.

The quickest and easiest way to pick blueberries? Hold your bucket under the bush in one hand and with your other hand, cup the blueberry bunch and rub the berries gently with your fingers. Don’t worry about accidentally getting unripe berries in your bucket; they’ll stay attached to the bush, while the ripe ones will fall off.

Tips for storing blueberries after harvesting:

• Don’t put freshly picked berries in a closed bag or container. They’ll still be warm, so leave the container open to keep moisture out.
• Don’t wash blueberries all at once. Only wash them right before you’re going to use them. Otherwise, they’ll turn mushy.
• Soon after picking, put blueberries in the fridge in a covered bowl or storage container. They should keep for 10 to 14 days.
• You can freeze berries, too. Put them in freezer containers without washing them. Only put them one layer deep in the container. Once frozen, you can transfer them to other freezer containers with other frozen blueberries. Rinse, drain and wash frozen blueberries in cold water before using.

Pick blueberries between June and August, and thank yourself the rest of the year for doing so.

Go make something awesome,
Jen