I do. Last weekend, I picked, sorted, and washed half a bucket of
berries. I ate quite a few too, sampling off the bushes and dipping
into my stash back home, where I spent the July 4th weekend in a
cooking and baking frenzy.
A pick-your-own newbie, I decided on Harris Farms in Millington
because it is close — less than 30 minutes from East Memphis
— and the blueberries are organic. The farm is easy to find,
hugging a country road about 10 miles up Austin Peay Highway.
Once there, the process is simple: Take a bucket, walk up the rise
past the rosemary and compost, and start picking.
The bushes are loaded, and at first, I’m a little greedy. If it’s a
berry and it’s blue, it goes in the bucket. But after a while, I start
to notice the plumpest berries at the top of the bush or the end of
each cluster.
These are the mother lode, and soon I’m mesmerized by the picking
and the birds and the midday quiet: pick, plunk, pick, plunk, taste.
Even the 90-degree heat isn’t bad because the bushes, planted three
decades ago, are tall enough to make a little shade. But beware: Poison
ivy and blueberry bushes like to hang out together.
After an hour and a half, I snap out of my trance and head for the
Harris’ roadside stand. Alvin Harris is happy to take me to school on
his favorite fruit.
In the Mid-South, rabbiteye blueberries are the best match for the
climate. “There are many types of rabbiteye, but Tifblue is the best,”
Harris says. “They are the most productive and bear fruit for the
longest time.”
I’m curious about how a farmer picks blueberries, so I ask for
advice.
“The ripest berries have an opaque color to them, and when you pick
them, they roll into your hand,” Harris says. “If they are real shiny,
they’re not ready to eat.”
Berries for cooking, however, don’t play by the same rules. “As long
as they aren’t green, the color doesn’t matter,” Harris says. “I have
one man who picks half red berries because they are tart. He likes them
for pies.”
By now, Harris’ wife, Shirley, joins the conversation. I ask about
making jam (she follows the Sure Jell directions) and blueberry
syrup.
“Two cups berries, one cup water, no pectin,” she says. “Then cook
it down with about half a cup of sugar.”
On the way home, I think about all the wonderful things I can make:
jam (a must-do); blueberry pancakes (Alvin’s favorite); syrup (if I can
figure out the “cook it down” part); and bundt cake (lemon with
blueberry sounds nice). But first I have to clean and sort almost 14
cups of berries. (Tip: Store clean berries in the square plastic
containers from salad mix.)
The next morning, I make pancakes from scratch (yum!) and cook down
blueberries for syrup like this: Combine the water, blueberries (smash
them a little with an avocado or potato masher), and sugar, let it come
to a full rolling boil for a minute or two, turn it down to a low boil
for about 10 minutes and then a simmer for a few minutes more.
Next, I turn my attention to jam.
Shirley was right. Use the Sure Jell recipe and don’t skimp on the
sugar. Also, don’t worry about fancy canning equipment.
I throw the lids in a sauce pan, put the jars in a large
stainless-steel pot, cover both with water, boil for a minute, then
turn off the heat. The jars stay hot while the jam cooks.
Did I make it to the bundt cake? Yes, but not until Sunday morning.
And guess what? I still have two cups of blueberries in my freezer for
nutritious and delicious snacks.
