Ready to go searching for berried treasure? Grab your pale and head over to a pick-your-own fruit farm near you. Fresh, antioxidant-rich blueberries are bountiful this time of year, reaching their prime now through mid-August.



Picking your own fruit is a wonderful way to enjoy the great outdoors with your friends and family. Plus, you'll come home with buckets of fresh berries, which make a delicious and healthy afternoon snack.

Here are a few tips to help make your blueberry picking adventure a success:

1. Since blueberries are small and hang in bunches, they tend to be more time-consuming to pick than other larger fruits. The most efficient way to pick blueberries is to hold your bucket under the branch with one hand while cupping your other hand around a bunch of blueberries and rubbing gently with your fingers. The ripe berries will drop into your bucket and the unripe ones should remain attached to the bush.

2. The best blueberries to pick are plump with a light gray-blue color. A reddish blueberry isn't fully ripe. Skip the white and green colored berries, too. They won't ripen after they are picked.

3. When looking for a good bush, it's often best to head toward the back rows of the orchard. The bushes toward the front have likely been picked over by others.

4. When you arrive home with your blueberries, they may still be warm from the sun. Leave them in an open container while they cool off to keep moisture from forming.

5. Once your berries cool down, stick them in the fridge. They should keep for 10 to 14 days.

6. To keep your berries from becoming mushy, avoid washing them until right before you plan to use them.

Great Spots for Berry Picking
- Bishop's Orchards in Guilford, Conn.
- Butler's Orchard in Germantown, Md.
- Brown's Berry Patch in Waterport, N.Y.
- Buttermilk Creek Farm in Burlington, N.C.
- The Berry Patch in Kansas City, Mo.
- Duyck's Peachy Pig Farm in Cornelius, Ore.
- The Blueberry Patch in Grass Lake, Mich.