# Berry picking



## ctenidae (Jun 20, 2006)

When/where is good to go to pick berries? I think it'd be fun, and my wife is dying to go. What's the season, and where's a good place (wihtin 1-1.5 hours of boston)?


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## JimG. (Jun 20, 2006)

ctenidae said:
			
		

> When/where is good to go to pick berries? I think it'd be fun, and my wife is dying to go. What's the season, and where's a good place (wihtin 1-1.5 hours of boston)?



Must.....fight.....urge....to......

What kind of berries are you looking to pick?


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## andyzee (Jun 20, 2006)

ctenidae said:
			
		

> When/where is good to go to pick berries? I think it'd be fun, and my wife is dying to go. What's the season, and where's a good place (wihtin 1-1.5 hours of boston)?


 
Damn, wish I could help you, but we're in NJ. We just got done picking strawberries this past weekend. Blueberries coming up the first week in July, can't wait for that one. NJ is the blueberry capital of the USA, we usually pick about 40 pounds!


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## SkiDog (Jun 20, 2006)

andyzee said:
			
		

> Damn, wish I could help you, but we're in NJ. We just got done picking strawberries this past weekend. Blueberries coming up the first week in July, can't wait for that one. NJ is the blueberry capital of the USA, we usually pick about 40 pounds!



any good spots to pick that you care to share? I am hiking parts of the AT this weekend and read that part of the trail I am hiking has blueberries when in season..but if you have other "regular" spots that I might be able to pick on different weekends that would be awesome.

Dont know if berry patches are like "secret" camping spots..but understand if you care not to divulge.

thanks in advance. 

M


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## nelsapbm (Jun 20, 2006)

There's a place down the road from my house....but it's definately not within an hour and a half of Boston!


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## skibum1321 (Jun 20, 2006)

andyzee said:
			
		

> Damn, wish I could help you, but we're in NJ. We just got done picking strawberries this past weekend. Blueberries coming up the first week in July, can't wait for that one. NJ is the blueberry capital of the USA, we usually pick about 40 pounds!


When I think blueberries, I think of Maine - not NJ. Mmmm wild Maine blueberries.


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## ctenidae (Jun 20, 2006)

Let me clarify for *JimG* and *Marc* when he appears-

I do not need a place to pick dingleberries. I can do that on my own.

So, it sounds like strawberries are in right now, and blueberries are on their way? How about blackberries/raspberries?


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## pizza (Jun 20, 2006)

wild blueberries..
I've always been afraid of picking something that is not a blueberry..
and then dying on some hiking trail in the wilderness with severe gastrointestinal pains caused by eating poison berries..


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## JimG. (Jun 20, 2006)

ctenidae said:
			
		

> Let me clarify for *JimG* and *Marc* when he appears-
> 
> I do not need a place to pick dingleberries. I can do that on my own.



Whew! I was on the edge of my seat waiting for the reply.


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## andyzee (Jun 20, 2006)

SkiDog said:
			
		

> any good spots to pick that you care to share? I am hiking parts of the AT this weekend and read that part of the trail I am hiking has blueberries when in season..but if you have other "regular" spots that I might be able to pick on different weekends that would be awesome.
> 
> Dont know if berry patches are like "secret" camping spots..but understand if you care not to divulge.
> 
> ...


 
Once again, keep in mind, I'm from Jersey. In July I go pick on a blueberry farm, it's Tom Haines Blueberries in Central Jersey. The have something like 50 acres of blueberries, here's there site: http://www.hainesberryfarm.com/pages/1/index.htm

In the wild, I have picked on the AT at the Delaware Water Gap in NJ as well as Harriman State Park in NY. Wild berries are different then the farm raised ones. They are smaller and have a different taste. They are very good but it does take a long time to pick. On the farm, as I stated, me and my wife will pick like 40-50 pounds in about an hour!


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## andyzee (Jun 20, 2006)

skibum1321 said:
			
		

> When I think blueberries, I think of Maine - not NJ. Mmmm wild Maine blueberries.


 
"New Jersey is the largest fresh market blueberry supplier in the nation.  The state ranks second in the country in number of acres of blueberries harvested. "

Taken from http://www.state.nj.us/agriculture/news/press/2006/press060615.html  keep in mind, this is for farm raised. I have heard that Maine is great for wild berries.


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## SkiDog (Jun 20, 2006)

pizza said:
			
		

> wild blueberries..
> I've always been afraid of picking something that is not a blueberry..
> and then dying on some hiking trail in the wilderness with severe gastrointestinal pains caused by eating poison berries..



I eated the purple berries...and they taste like BURNING...

Ralph Wiggum (The Simpsons)

M


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## SkiDog (Jun 20, 2006)

andyzee said:
			
		

> Once again, keep in mind, I'm from Jersey. In July I go pick on a blueberry farm, it's Tom Haines Blueberries in Central Jersey. The have something like 50 acres of blueberries, here's there site: http://www.hainesberryfarm.com/pages/1/index.htm
> 
> In the wild, I have picked on the AT at the Delaware Water Gap in NJ as well as Harriman State Park in NY. Wild berries are different then the farm raised ones. They are smaller and have a different taste. They are very good but it does take a long time to pick. On the farm, as I stated, me and my wife will pick like 40-50 pounds in about an hour!



Apologies..I thought it was known that I am also from Jersey. Live "north"..

Thanks for the heads up on the farm, sounds like it might make for a "fun" saturday with the woman....

I am hiking from "stokes" or Culver lake to be exact to the Water Gap...something in the range of 28 miles, but I am pretty sure they're easy miles, but I am hoping to stumble across some wild blueberries as the book stated they'd be on this part of the trail...HOPE I know what i'm looking for 

Thanks again.

M


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## andyzee (Jun 20, 2006)

SkiDog said:
			
		

> Apologies..I thought it was known that I am also from Jersey. Live "north"..
> 
> Thanks for the heads up on the farm, sounds like it might make for a "fun" saturday with the woman....
> 
> ...


 
Haven't done the AT much there, the trail I like to do is the red dot trail, which takes you up to the top of the Gap, great views. There you will usually find plenty of wild berries, but that's usually around end of July/August. I would definetly recommend the farm, great berries, you get a nice ride out on a wagon, and you could pick a lot real quick.


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## highpeaksdrifter (Jun 20, 2006)

SkiDog said:
			
		

> Ralph Wiggum (The Simpsons)
> 
> M



The funniest supporting character on the show IMO.:-D


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## highpeaksdrifter (Jun 20, 2006)

ctenidae said:
			
		

> When/where is good to go to pick berries? I think it'd be fun, and my wife is dying to go. What's the season, and where's a good place (wihtin 1-1.5 hours of boston)?



Don't youse have supermarkets and such?


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## andyzee (Jun 20, 2006)

highpeaksdrifter said:
			
		

> Don't youse have supermarkets and such?


 
Strawberries are OK, but I never eat supermarket blueberries, just not the same when you try fresh picked.


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## SkiDog (Jun 20, 2006)

andyzee said:
			
		

> Haven't done the AT much there, the trail I like to do is the red dot trail, which takes you up to the top of the Gap, great views. There you will usually find plenty of wild berries, but that's usually around end of July/August. I would definetly recommend the farm, great berries, you get a nice ride out on a wagon, and you could pick a lot real quick.



RED DOTS nice...I like that one...good workout for a short hike..steep if I remember correctly..

M


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## SkiDog (Jun 20, 2006)

highpeaksdrifter said:
			
		

> The funniest supporting character on the show IMO.:-D



Agreed 110%...

My fav I think is still 

"I choo choo choose you, and it has a train on it"

or

"whats a diarama"

OR

"i bent my wookie"

Damn I can never choose......Grrrrrrr Ralph 

M


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## andyzee (Jun 20, 2006)

SkiDog said:
			
		

> RED DOTS nice...I like that one...good workout for a short hike..steep if I remember correctly..
> 
> M


 
Yep, nice work out and great view from up top sitting on the rocks looking at NJ, PA, and NY


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## skibum1321 (Jun 20, 2006)

What do you guys think this is the hijack thread?


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## SkiDog (Jun 20, 2006)

skibum1321 said:
			
		

> What do you guys think this is the hijack thread?



Im HORRIBLE like that...MY BAD... I apologize...is there a dunce cap I could sit in the corner wearing??? ;-)

M


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## andyzee (Jun 20, 2006)

SkiDog said:
			
		

> Im HORRIBLE like that...MY BAD... I apologize...is there a dunce cap I could sit in the corner wearing??? ;-)
> 
> M


 
I think he was talking to JimG


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## ctenidae (Jun 20, 2006)

So, what have we learned today?

Northern NJ has some nice berry picking places
Ralph Wiggum is the funniest supporting character on The Simpsons
Something about RED DOTS (I think you can get a cream for that)
No one knows of a place in the Boston region for picking berries (not of the dingleberry variety)

Good to know.


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## andyzee (Jun 20, 2006)

ctenidae said:
			
		

> So, what have we learned today?
> 
> Northern NJ has some nice berry picking places
> Ralph Wiggum is the funniest supporting character on The Simpsons
> ...


 
Central NJ has better berry picking places
Not sure bout the Simpsons
Red Dot is the name of a trail
Place in Boston region, hmmm.... try this site: http://thephoenix.com/supplements/2006/summer/?C0=PRODUCE&C1=PICK%20YOUR%20OWN or http://www.pickyourown.org/mass.htm


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## andyzee (Jun 20, 2006)

Oh and if you want something differnet, try Cape Cod, you could take the ferry, on the Highland beach in Truro. They have great wild berries growing there, not sure about the season though, we picked in August


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## awf170 (Jun 20, 2006)

ctenidae said:
			
		

> No one knows of a place in the Boston region for picking berries (not of the dingleberry variety)



Lynn woods.


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## ski_resort_observer (Jun 21, 2006)

The Scarbourough area just south of Portland has some great strawberry picking farms that our family go to every year. Maybe 2 hrs from Boston. In the Whites there are lots of wild blueberries but not until August


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## pizza (Jun 21, 2006)

I think Andy is talking about commercial blueberry farms, while the rest of us are talking about blueberry bushes alongside hiking trails.

I'm sure NJ has good blueberry farms. But I don't think they're much for wild blueberries..


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## andyzee (Jun 21, 2006)

pizza said:
			
		

> I think Andy is talking about commercial blueberry farms, while the rest of us are talking about blueberry bushes alongside hiking trails.
> 
> I'm sure NJ has good blueberry farms. But I don't think they're much for wild blueberries..


 
Yep, pizza is right. Jersey does have some wild berries, but you could be picking all day to get a small container. And that's using a blueberry picker such as the one below:


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## SkiDog (Jun 21, 2006)

pizza said:
			
		

> I think Andy is talking about commercial blueberry farms, while the rest of us are talking about blueberry bushes alongside hiking trails.
> 
> I'm sure NJ has good blueberry farms. But I don't think they're much for wild blueberries..



Not Wild like Maine, but they are along sections of many trails apparently. 

I come across black and rasberries much more often than anything else. 

M


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## ChileMass (Jun 22, 2006)

ctenidae - 

Out here in eastern Worcester county there are lots of places where you can pick berries of all kinds.  Our favorite is Tougas Farm in Northboro (www.tougasfarm.com).  My wife and kids came back with about 20 lbs of gorgeous strawberries today, and I can't wait for the shortcake.  In a few weeks they will have blueberries the size of quarters.  

And here's a good link with lots of places:  http://www.pickyourown.org/mass.htm

Have fun.


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## skibum1321 (Jun 25, 2006)

There is a sign for a place called Ward's Berry Farm off exit 8 of 95 down around Foxborough.


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## andyzee (Jul 11, 2006)

Well picked my Jersey Blueberries this past weekend, weren't quite as sweet as previous years, but they were still good. Only picked about 35 pounds this time, may go back


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## ctenidae (Jul 12, 2006)

We went to some place out past 495 with a couple of friends and got the last of the strawberries July 4th weekend. As I was quite sure would happen, very few actually got eaten.

In a way, I'm glad there weren't many berries out, and that they didn't get eaten, because now my wife won't want to go again. Not that I don't enjoy doing it, but it's a waste, since there's no way we'll eat even a quart before they go bad, and for that, we can just go to Haymarket. 

Thanks for all the advice, though.


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## pizza (Jul 12, 2006)

There's this wonderful technological innovation for preserving food. It's called a freezer.. you may want to look into it.


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## ctenidae (Jul 12, 2006)

pizza said:
			
		

> There's this wonderful technological innovation for preserving food. It's called a freezer.. you may want to look into it.



I have heard that the freezer is a wonderful thing. Unfortunately, our freezer is more akin to the Black Hole of Calcutta- things go in, never to be seen again. I'll tell you the pork chop story sometime.

No, the only thing that ever comes out of the freezer is ice, but only when invited by a couple of ounces of gin with a passing acquaintance with vermouth.


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## Marc (Jul 12, 2006)

ctenidae said:
			
		

> I have heard that the freezer is a wonderful thing. Unfortunately, our freezer is more akin to the Black Hole of Calcutta- things go in, never to be seen again. I'll tell you the pork chop story sometime.
> 
> No, the only thing that ever comes out of the freezer is ice, but only when invited by a couple of ounces of gin with a passing acquaintance with vermouth.



Hell, I can't even get ice out of mine.  Damn self defrosting freezer.


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## pizza (Jul 12, 2006)

ctenidae said:
			
		

> I'll tell you the pork chop story sometime.



man.. this is going to be good..


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## andyzee (Jul 12, 2006)

pizza said:
			
		

> There's this wonderful technological innovation for preserving food. It's called a freezer.. you may want to look into it.


 
I've tried different methods of freezing, fruit just ain't the same after being defrosted.


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## ctenidae (Jul 12, 2006)

andyzee said:
			
		

> I've tried different methods of freezing, fruit just ain't the same after being defrosted.



You can always try the Alton Brown method using dry ice (quicker freezing is better). Plus, dry ice is fun to play with.


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## andyzee (Jul 12, 2006)

ctenidae said:
			
		

> You can always try the Alton Brown method using dry ice (quicker freezing is better). Plus, dry ice is fun to play with.


 
Been there, done that :grin:  , still nowhere near the same when you defrost.


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## pizza (Jul 12, 2006)

andyzee said:
			
		

> I've tried different methods of freezing, fruit just ain't the same after being defrosted.



No, but frozen berries are good in pies, muffins, smoothies, and adult beverages.
I keep a costco-sized bag of blueberries in my freezer for morning protein shakes. adds antioxidants and a lot of flavor.


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## andyzee (Jul 12, 2006)

This is true.


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