A few weekends ago, I was up early on a Saturday morning (thanks, adulthood), so I decided to go berry picking.
One great thing about living outside of the city is that we’re close to so many farms…and even berry patches!
I trekked out to Dr. Young’s Pond Berry Farm in Angier to pick some of the last blackberries of the season.
I also got to learn the story of the berry farm: The land used to be owned by Dr. Young, the resident county doctor, and they often used the pond on his property to baptize people. So, the family that owns it now, decided to name the berry farm after Dr. Young’s Pond.
Berry picking was so fun (but hot), and it has been a blast cooking with the blackberries since then.
Here are a few tips to get the most out of berry picking:
1. Go early
Berry picking is best before the heat of the day, so rise and shine and get to picking! This will make the experience much more enjoyable for everyone.
2. Dress to sweat
Like I said, it’s going to be hot (even if you do go early), so dress accordingly. I wore breathable workout clothes that were comfy and didn’t weight me down.
3. Fill up a bucket at least
If you go berry picking, you should fill up one whole bucket at least. Just think, when will you be back berry picking and don’t you have a bit of room in your freezer? You-pick berries are usually much cheaper than buying the ones in the store, so load up!
4. Eat them fast
When you get home with the berries, eat lots the day of and over the next few days. For the berries you won’t tackle soon, freeze them! Do this by washing the berries, drying them, then laying them out on a cookie sheet lined with wax paper and sliding into the freezer. After they’ve frozen (for a few hours or a day), put them in a large freezer bag and use when needed.
Come back Thursday to see a special blackberry recipe!