Why, yes, it really is *that easy* to pick (and eat!) four pounds of big ol’ blueberries, just in case you were wondering!
We went blueberry picking last weekend at Duckworth Family Farm in Sebastapol. It’s about an hour and a half north of San Francisco, and you can pick your own organic blueberries right off the plants. Every time I’d look over at Connor, I’d see her daintily lifting up her mask and sneaking a blueberry into her mouth. I think she ate more blueberries than she actually picked, ha ha ha!
I can’t blame her, since eating fresh-off-the-vine blueberries is absolutely divine. So sweet, so juicy, and it’s especially satisfying when you find a really BIG one the size of your thumb, and you pop it into your mouth right then and there.
We spent Saturday morning there last weekend, picking blueberries, eating homemade blueberry ice cream and watching the sheep circumnavigate the grounds. They periodically stampede around the farm! It’s the coolest thing. You don’t see them at first, but you hear their hooves thundering, and then, suddenly! — they come out of nowhere, running and jumping in a huge (and very cute) herd.
Anywho, this place is super cool and a great place to have an easy, outdoor family outing in the Bay Area. There’s no charge to enter the farm, so if you wanted to stop by for a quick picnic on the grounds or to go fishing in one of the ponds (which is stocked with fish), or to get a scoop of blueberry ice cream, you can. If you’re interested in picking organic blueberries — which I highly recommend! — you have to wait for about 15 minutes in a couple of lines, sign a waiver, wear a mask, practice social distancing and, of course, wash your hands before you enter the blueberry picking area.
Once there, you’ll receive a small bucket which you wear around your waist like a fanny pack and a brown paper bag to carry your freshly picked blueberries.
Picking blueberries off the plant is simple. The plants don’t have any thorns or spiky leaves, and they’re low to the ground so there’s no need to climb anything to get to them. All you have to do is find the biggest, bluest berries you can, pop ’em off with your fingers, and drop as few or as many of them as you want into your basket. Once you have your fill, you can weigh they out to take them home for $4.50/pound.
Duckworth Family Farms is open for blueberry picking for seven short weeks in the summer. They’re open on Saturdays and Sundays from 8 a.m. to 2 p.m., and they don’t have a website, but they do have have a page on Facebook.
Oh, and I remember seeing somewhere on their page that next week (fourth of July weekend) is their last weekend this summer, so if you want to go, make your plans now. I’d suggest going early on Saturday so you can get to the bigger berries before they’re picked over.
Your friendly neighborhood beauty addict,
Karen
Oh man, that’s so wonderful to be able to do! I’m envious (in a good way)! I’ve had the pleasure of cherry picking, but that required moving a ladder from branch to branch . . . much more time consuming.
Next, show us how you’ve used them, even if it’s the loaf you’ve previously shared.
L❤️
SPI, TX
Believe it or not all those blueberries are almost gone! LOL I thought we’d have enough for me to bake at least four recipes but turns out we are blueberries monsters in this house. I made a batch of gluten-free blueberry muffins for El Hub which he loved. I’ll post some pics along with the recipe!
My mom and I used to go blueberry picking every summer, and she always teased me about eating more than I picked, too. We’d come back with a big box full, no matter how many I ate! I loved picking them AND eating them. What a great memory your post brought back! I wish I lived somewhere that blueberries were available for picking these days. Those were good times. 🙂
What a sweet memory for you! I hope your mom made lots of yummy baked goods with those berries.
I love Connor sneaking snacks ? my parents have wild berries on their property (mostly black raspberries, raspberries, and blackberries, the occasional wild strawberry) and I remember just wandering in the woods eating them when I was younger. I also remember getting wild blueberries with my grandma.
Sounds like a great way to spend the day!
Wow, you had a whole fruit salad in your backyard! Amazing.
Where we live right now, we have lots of wild blackberries around in my neighborhood, and when they’re in season sometimes you’ll see people on the side of the road picking them. 🙂
Oh, and fun fact: we have a neighbor who has a yellow lab named Gracie who loves blueberries! We shared a handful with her the other day.
Will there be another blueberry crunch or lemon-blueberry baked goodness in your future?
What a great outdoor experience! Nature’s candy with the satisfaction of gathering it yourself. It’s true, once you’ve had fresh, it’s hard to scale back to non-local, non-fresh. I’d never eaten fresh walnuts before until I first visited my (at the time future) hubby in Vienna and he had fresh walnuts from his parents’ farm. Who Knew How Good?! His mom also grew raspberries that we got to pop in our mouths when we visited during the summer.
Connor Claire will have great memories of blueberry picking with you; I still remember my family’s apple picking from when I was 3 years old! Such an impression!
P.S. Your mask makeup looks terrific! 😉
Sooo I had originally planned to do a ton of baking with these blueberries thinking that there is NO WAY we could eat four pounds of them… Alas, they’re almost gone. I did use two cups to make a batch of gluten-free blueberry muffins, which El Hub devoured. I now have a long list of blueberry recipes for next time.
Thank you for noticing my mask makeup. I did it in three minutes! (Yes, I timed it.)
How are things on your end of the keyboard?
I do not blame you for quickly going through 4 pounds of blueberries. I could easily do the same!
We just got word that we are WFH for another month. I’ve just started wearing lipstick at home just because. There, I feel so like Naomi Campbell, who’s been doing the same these days. 😉
This weekend we are going to stay daheck away from beaches. Maybe we’ll take a hike. Literally. Ooh, there were some trails that had wild strawberry guava that you could pick and eat. Maybe we’ll find some this weekend!
Ooh, have you guys done Maunawili Falls yet? I did it years ago with El Hub and my friend Cindy; it’s one of my faves (just don’t forget to bring bug spray). I also have fond memories of being so hungry after that hike… We rolled up to the nearest 7-11 we could find, bought a bunch of spam musubi and then ate them right in front of the 7-11. LOL
I’ve heard good things about Maunawili Falls, and that its a “robust” hike, too! That’s how you do here! 7-Eleven in Hawaii is just SO GOOD. Forget Royal Kitchen or Chun Wah Kam manapua — 7-Eleven chicken curry manapua is ridiculously good!
It’s a fun one, and not too difficult. You don’t have to cross any rivers, however, there are spots where you have to watch your footing. The hardest thing about it was finding the trailhead! The mosquitos were also a pain.
During that trip I think we also did the Stairway to Heaven, which was KILLER.
Ha! How adorable! That sounds like a fun place! When I lived in California I rented a house for about a year in Sebastopol. I love that area and how hippie-dippy it is!
I like the town’s vibe, too. How did you like living in California?
Oh I loved it! I loved the weather and all there is to do! I lived there about 6 years (different places in Northern California) but all my family is in North Dakota and I missed them so I moved back!
I totally understand. I moved two hours away from the Bay Area when I was in college and couldn’t wait to come back to my friends and family! Is your family big?
I’m actually an only child but my dad is one of 12, so I have lots of aunts, uncles, and cousins!
That sounds wonderful. I bet you guys always had stuff going on during the weekends, like birthdays and whatnot!
I love blueberries!! And could easily eat 4 lbs of them lol! Picking blueberries sounds like a wonderful way to spend the day! Plus you get to know your local farmers.
Yes! We chatted for a long time with one of the owners, which was so nice. It totally makes a difference when you know the story behind the food.
I had originally planned to bake with the berries because I thought we wouldn’t be able to eat them all, but they’re almost gone!
I remember picking blueberries in Michigan. What a versatile berry to grow in CA too! You could make another blueberry lemon loaf…. I would put em in blintzes!
So I *thought* I’d have enough to at least another loaf but NOPE. They’re almost gone! We’ve been devouring them!
I’ve never been blueberry picking, but I grew up picking raspberries (you learn how to dodge the thorns) and strawberries (killer on the back lol) because they grow those berries a lot in Tasmania, where I grew up.
I’m hoping to take Sally strawberry picking in Tassie whenever we can next go there.
I bet she would love it! She’ll probably be eating more berries than she picks though!
So jealous! Blueberries are my favorite fruit but I *may* be more jealous of the fact you have to wear a jacket – in July – ahhhh! The only 2 places us people living in Dallas can go this weekend is somewhere with a/c or a pool. Our humidity is out the roof and its just miserable here this time of year. I sure miss the too-few years I lived in California!
It’s surprisingly refreshing to have those cool mornings in June and July! 🙂
Such wonderful memories for your family, and great photos! what fun she must have had. You have to read her the picture book, “Blueberries for Sal” by Robert McCloskey. It was a favorite of my kids when they were young, and a great read aloud. Check it out if it’s not already on your bookshelf. Cheers to Bay Area Summer outdoor adventures!