Picking Blueberries

One afternoon this week I felt comfortable enough to leave Mother alone for a couple of hours to go with my friend and neighbor Brenda to a blueberry farm just a few miles down the road.  It's actually located in a fairly well-developed country subdivision where most of the homes are located on several acres.  This place was a ten-acre farm with two acres devoted to blueberries and it was an absolutely delightful oasis hidden among the loblolly pines of East Texas.

Upon entering the property we parked in front of the cute little blueberry shed ...

... where everything was well-organized and just waiting for us.  All the necessary information, rules and regulations were posted on the wall, there were plenty of buckets, plastic bags, lanyards to loop around your neck in order to hold your bucket and keep both hands free for faster picking, a cooler full of iced water and cups ...

... and even a cashier which was on duty during all business hours (7 a.m. to 7 p.m. daily during blueberry season.)  The entire operation is completely self-serve and runs on honesty.

The owners have a beautiful home adjacent to the blueberry stand but it is almost completely hidden by the trees and gardens surrounding the place.  Plants abound everywhere, in beds, raised beds, pots on patios.  There are even welcoming benches for a place to sit and rest a while.

Hibiscus were in full glorious bloom ...

as were cone flowers and canna lilies and flowers of every color.

Vegetables were planted in a simple raised bed built of concrete blocks which would be soooo easy to do (the wheels are turning) and there were peppers of beautiful colors ripening ...

... next to tomatoes soaking up the sun and just waiting to burst with flavor.  There were also herbs and smaller plants and flowers planted within some of the hollow concrete blocks which served as the second story for the raised bed.

But now, on to the reason we came.  The blueberries!

As far as the eye can see, row upon row upon row of blueberries, three different varieties, 1,150 bushes of them laden with fruit ripening in various stages.

Where does one even begin?  There were gazillions of them!  Thank goodness there is no charge for the ones you eat as you pick!

By the looks of these berries, there will be plenty available for picking for at least the next few weeks.

My friend Brenda works up a sweat but she said it was worth it.

The only other person even on the premises was this chubby lady, who, as soon as I showed her this picture, decided that she must do something about that extra weight she's been carrying.  I promised her I would follow her progress and hopefully have good news and more attractive pictures to post in the coming months.