Booming Blueberries

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By Holly Zuluaga

Summary

Some local blueberry farms are getting an early start on the season. One farm is turning to you to do the picking. Berry Blue Farms is one of the first farms in the northwest with berries ready for the picking.

Story Published: Jun 21, 2009 at 6:05 PM PST

BURBANK--Some local blueberry farms are getting an early start on the season.

One farm is turning to you to do the picking.

Berry Blue Farms is one of the first farms in the northwest with berries ready for the picking.

“Most blueberries don't ripen until August,” Deborah Davis from Berry Blue Farms said.

Last year this family run farm didn't sell local, their crop went to Seattle, but they had trouble finding workers to pick their patch.

“A lot of laborers are already busy in other fields, and with picking blueberries there's not a combine or a machine to help do a lot of the work, and so for us being a small farm, trying to find laborers, they're looking to go to the big farms that are going to keep them busy longer,” Deborah Davis said.

Another problem with sending the fruit out, was packing prices, which just add up.

With double the berries from last year, Berry Blue decided to turn to you.

They’ve turned into a u-pick.

“This year we are out on a limb seeing if people enjoy it, and we're actually having great success with it,” Deborah Davis said.

Berry Blue farms says they did it for two weekends last year, and got a good response, because most local blueberry growers sell out of the area.

Their blueberries are organic so you can eat them right off the bush.

It’s a sweet pay-off, even if it's not in dollars and cents.

The spot is in Burbank off Highway 124 near Ice Harbor Dam.

Call 619-6740 for more information.