::::: I am a human Pac Man, and I eat purple dots. ::::: I wait the entire year for late summer. That's when you hit the mountains to pick purple jewels of goodness: huckleberries. But, until then, you can prime your harvesting skills with other globes of goodness. So from May - July one can take a short drive from the Tri-Cities and check out a few places to pick blueberries (a cousin to the mountain huckleberry). While heading out to go fly fishing on the Touchet, we noticed signs for "U-Pick Blueberries". There were quite a few cars parked out & a decent crowd out foraging. This all struck me as something I would need to investigate. A week later, I made my move. I picked a field which was off the beaten path. Berry Blue Farms had a small hand-written sign on the road. So, I pointed myself northward, and drove along the gravel road for a mile or 2. I eventually came upon the Snake River in the distance and could see a few cars parked in the distance and a field of bushes....blue berry bushes. I arrived around 1pm (they were open until 2...yeah, I'm a late riser on the weekend). I talked to the person who you pay, and she sent me on my way. The blue berries were $2/lb. You can pick as many as you want, and you can eat as many as you want when you're out there. I also overheard her saying something about how some blueberries have a white coating/powdery substance on them---that's to help protect them and keep their flavor. This is an organic farm, and they also have a few different varieties of blue berries. After pleasantries, I split. I was on a mission. I walked a few steps, knelt, and got to business. Wow, blueberry pickin' is surprisingly pretty easy. The berries easily come off the branch. Within minutes I easily had a pound of firm, ripe, and tasty blueberries. I don't know what it was, but some primal instincts kicked in. I was a berry pickin' machine. I was getting giddy, mad, obsessed. After 30min or so I easily had 5-6lbs.....but at this time I realized I lost my phone!! (Yeah, I stupidly was posting pictures of my pickin' on Facebook, and left my phone on the top of a bush to have a better signal to upload a photo). Anyway, I ended up wasting the rest of my time in the field looking for my phone...without any luck. Sadly, I walked over to pay my berries, BUT as I approached the table to pay, I saw a woman with a black rectangle in her hand....my phone. I asked her if she happened to find a phone. Yes, she did. Ah, life in the country. For $12, I made it home with more blueberries than I could handle. I gave some away, but I wished I knew how to make jam, pies, etc. Guess that's what I'll try next summer. Be sure to wash your lot. I found little spiders in my bag of berries. read more

Berry Blue Farms - blueberries growing in a field - Farmers Market Near Me

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