I am a big fan of berries. Strawberries. Blueberries. Raspberries, red and black. So, when the summer picking season comes around, you’ll likely find me in a berry patch, kneeling in the dirt, determined to find the biggest, juiciest strawberries. Blueberry picking isn’t so back-breaking, but sometimes the best and brightest blues are nestled deep within the bush, shielded by a tangle of branches that have a tendency to poke at eyes and scratch faces indiscriminately. And if you want to pick raspberries, you’ll have to deal with the thorns!
For anyone who hasn’t gone berry picking, I’m making it sound much more hazardous than it is. Maybe that’s because I don’t want to have to share my plot of fruit-bearing plants with other enthusiastic pickers: The berries always seem bigger and better on the other side of the row.
As I said, I’m a big fan of berries: I got up early to pick blueberries the day before I was scheduled to give birth. People had been advising me to walk, walk, walk the baby out. I figured I would do one better, and “pick” the baby out. If reaching and craning wouldn’t get him or her to budge, then nothing would. I had grown bold; the kid was 10 days late. Much to the relief of anyone in the patch that day, the baby berry-lover decided to give it a few more days.
Did I mention I was a big fan of berries?!
This year, there is no other hazard than the possibility that I will be overcome by heat stroke or a berry-induced food coma. I picked at Glendale Farms last week, and though it was a bit more work than usual because of all the rain this season, it was well worth it. The berries are tart-sweet and juicy. Don’t care so much for strawberries? Blueberry season is just around the corner. Just try not to pick in my row, OK?
For farms in nearby counties, visit ctpickyourown.org. Call ahead for conditions, crops and hours.
Fairfield County Farms
- Jones Family Farms, 110 and Walnut Tree Hill Road (266 Israel Hill Road), Shelton (203) 929-8425. Ripe for the Pickin’: strawberries, blueberries
- Glendale Farms, 203 Herbert Street, Milford (203) 874-7203. Ripe for the Pickin’: strawberries
- Candee Farm, 456 Morehouse Road, Easton (203) 268-5623. Ripe for the Pickin’: raspberries
- White Silo Farm and Winery, 32 Route 37 East, Sherman (860) 355-0271. Ripe for the Pickin’: red and yellow raspberries, blackberries (special blackberry bushes without thorns)
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