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> Those things they sell as blueberries in the stores really aren't blueberries. The is absolutely true. My family owns a pick-it-yourself blueberry farm at th
by tomkinstinch 11y ago
> Those things they sell as blueberries in the stores really aren't blueberries.
The is absolutely true. My family owns a pick-it-yourself blueberry farm at the top of a mountain in the Hudson River Valley of NY. Prior to 100 years ago it was worked as a vegetable farm, but then the fields were left fallow and wild blueberry bushes popped up. My family has owned it for about 70 years, and most of the bushes are a bit older than that. These are high-bush blueberries, 8-12 feet tall. You can pick the berries standing up with a bucket hanging from your neck. The flavor of the berries is very potent compared to store berries, and they are much smaller. They're incomparable with mass market berries. They're also more delicate, and have a shelf life of only a few days in the fridge once picked (though they can be spread on cookie sheets and frozen for greater longevity).
My childhood black lab would run around with us plucking berries with its mouth as the family picked into buckets. One of my favorite memories of summer in the Northeast.
From the berries we would make pies, jams, cakes, muffins, and our personal favorite: "blueberry pizza," made from unsweetened pizza dough onto which blueberries were spread with a bit of butter and a light dusting of cinnamon and sugar.
Happy to answer any blueberry questions folks may have.
- comrade1 11y agoIf you suspend them in water in the fridge they last longer, but eventually they must be froze how you describe.
- joshu 11y agoWould a blackberry bush live in my yard with just rainfall? Or is it to dry in the bay area?
- dang 11y agoThe north side of Bernal Hill above the Mission in SF has a sprawling blackberry patch. It thrives there. It's quite wonderful.
- amichelony 11y agoI've grown several blackberry varieties in the bay area and currently have a thornless loganberry, which I highly recommend. Blackberry is one of the easiest plants to grow and it won't be easy to eradicate it once it's settled. However, I wouldn't depend on rainfall if I wanted a lot of berries.
- tomkinstinch 11y agoBlackberries are hardy, and will grow well in many climates that get rain. You may be able to grow them in the Bay Area, with limited productivity. Of course you'd have better luck with some irrigation, or at the edge of your yard if you use sprinklers. They can spread broadly though, so much so that in certain areas they can be invasive (Portland, OR, for example). Planting blackberries is not something to enter into lightly since they're a pain to remove (quite literally; there are thorns). Blueberries on the other hand are more difficult: they require bright (but not necessarily direct) light, ample rainfall, acidic soil (pH 4-5), and limited competition. We frequently have to cut away grape vines that grow on bushes and block sunlight. Birds, bears, and other woodland creatures also love blueberries so you have to beat them to the bushes.