Berry Picking is today’s Wednesday Activity Review. Each Wednesday this summer, Ann Arbor with Kids is covering an activity typically aimed at children in Elementary School.
It is currently Blueberry Season in Michigan. Michigan is also great for picking raspberries. With this summer’s hot temperatures blueberry season actually started about a week earlier than normal.
Dexter Blueberry Farm
Yesterday we visited Dexter Blueberry Farm to pick blueberries. The blueberry picking was good. In about 45 minutes my daughter and I picked 3.5 lbs of blueberries. She is definitely a more efficient berry picker at 10 than she was at 3. The blueberries are $1.75/pound this year, the same price that they have been for a few years.
Although we were advised to go further back for optimal picking, we picked fairly close to the front and found the picking fairly easy, but hot. There were plenty of blueberries on the bushes that were just starting to develop, so picking conditions should continue to be good for quite a while. However, they are expecting picking to end a bit earlier than normal because the season started early.
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Dexter Blueberry Farm provides buckets for picking with straps that you can use to strap them over your shoulder, neck, or waist. We both wore them cross-body style. Once we finished picking, our blueberries were transferred into plastic bags for us to take home.
We were pleasantly surprised that the patch was not covered in mosquitos. Many times when we have gone berry picking, the mosquitos were horrible and bug spray did not help much. Today we picked without bug spray, and had no problems.
Dexter Blueberry Farm is located at 11024 Beach Rd, Dexter. They are open 8a-7:30p Monday-Saturday and noon-6p on Sundays. For any updates on picking conditions, be sure to check out their Facebook page.
Where to Pick Fruit
Of course Dexter Blueberry Farm is not the only place to pick your own fruit in the Ann Arbor area.
Berry Bliss: Discover Local Blueberry Picking Near Ann Arbor
Juicy Delights: Discovering the Best Cherry Picking Near Us
Savor the Sweetness: Ann Arbor Strawberry Picking Guide
The Best Pumpkin Patches in Ann Arbor
Berry Bounty: Discovering U-Pick Raspberry Farms Near You
Lavender Bliss: Serene Lavender Fields near Ann Arbor
Berry Picking Tips
No matter where you pick, I have a few tips to share.
- Go early in the day – Plan to arrive early before it gets too hot.
- Dress for the weather – I recommend a hat for shade.
- Wear Sunscreen – it was definitely sunny in the blueberry patch.
- Bring Water – We left our water bottles in the car, and we were definitely in need of them by the time we got back.
- Bring Bug Spray – We didn’t need it, but I’d rather have it available to use in case there are a lot of bugs that day
- Bring Cash – Not all locations take a credit card.
- Bring a cooler if you’re making stops on the way home
- Park in the shade if possible especially on hot days
Using Blueberries
Of course now that you have picked all of these blueberries (or other fruit), what are you going to do with them. A few of our favorites are Blueberry Pie and Blueberry Jelly which both use large quantities of blueberries. We just made a blueberry pie last weekend for a party and still have leftovers and we didn’t pick quite enough for jelly.
A few other recipes that we like:
- Blueberry Coffee Cake – Recipe from Allrecipes.com
- Blueberry Sauce – Recipe from Allrecipes.com goes great over waffles or pancakes
Another wonderful place to pick raspberries and blackberries (limited season) is Berry Hill Farm, 12835 N Territorial Rd
Chelsea, Michigan. It’s actually less than 4 miles from intersection of Dexter-Pinckney Rd and N Territorial, so although it is a Chelsea address, we go through Dexter to get there. Very nice people. Check for updates on picking conditions: https://www.facebook.com/raspberryfarm/ or get on their mailing list.