28 Jul Sun 2013
Local Blueberry Sources
I love blueberries. When I was growing up, my Aunt and Uncle owned a blueberry farm. In fact, my first job was picking blueberries. This also means I grew up spoiled – free blueberries, as many as I could pick. We (my family) usually picked three or four 1-gallon ice cream pails worth which would find their way into the freezer. Farm-fresh blueberries all (or, at least most) year long!
The farms near my hometown are near Lake Michigan so the blueberry season didn’t really kick off until the beginning of August. This correlation was so engrained in me (August = Blueberry Season) that for nearly a decade of living in Kalamazoo I missed out on blueberries. (Round about the second or third week of August I would think “I should probably pick some blueberries” and they would be all-but-gone.)
Last year I finally remembered to pick blueberries in July. But after so many years of free blueberries, I was completely, utterly disturbed when I coughed up cash for blueberries at Leduc Blueberries last year. (I don’t even remember what I paid – but it wasn’t free!)
This year we had a our own, first-ever crop of blueberries! While it was exciting to pick blueberries from my own garden, the berries totaled about a pint when all was said and done. Clearly this is not going to satisfy my blueberry needs for the year. Instead, I headed off to Bangor, Michigan and picked 21 pounds of berries from Schemenauer Blueberries. The owner, Luka Schemenauer, happens to be the same guy who helped us dig the pits for our hugelkultur beds last December. These berries are not pesticide free, but they are inexpensive – $1/pound. All of the berries are U-Pick and the farm is “open” 24/7!
Conventionally-Grown Blueberries
Schemenauer Blueberries
24/7 U-Pick!
1 Mile North of M-43 on 54th
Bangor, MI 49013
$1/pound
Harvey’s U-Pick Farm
Contact Farm for U-Pick Hours (usually 8 AM to 6 PM)
2651 15 Mile Road
Tekonsha, MI 49092
517-767-3408
$1.50/Pound
Naturally-Grown Blueberries
Looking for pesticide-free blueberries? Check out what I found – naturally-grown, pesticide-free berries for the same great $1/pound price at Kendall’s Blueberries! Maybe I’ll mosey over that way sometime this week… you can never have too many blueberries, you know!
Kendall’s Blueberries
Mon – Sun: 8:00 AM through 8:00 PM
2124 Coburn Road
Hastings, MI 49058
269-945-3735
https://www.facebook.com/pages/Kendalls-Blueberries/121427532362
$1/Pound
If Kendall’s isn’t an option for you, here are some other choices for naturally-grown berries. But hurry – it’s practically August and blueberries won’t last much longer… trust me!
Pleasant Hill Blueberries (Certified Organic)
Hours: By Appointment
5859 124th Avenue
Fennville, MI 49048
269-561-2850
http://pleasanthillblueberryfarm.com/
$2.50/pound
Understory Farm & Orchard
Open whenever the sun is up!
28120 County Road 215 (54th Street)
Bangor, MI 49013
Chanterelle 1-269-808-7773 Matt 1-810-701-6522
https://www.facebook.com/pages/Understory-Farm-and-Orchard/261227237287212?fref=ts
Contact Farm for Prices
Big Head Farm
Hours: Contact farm for U-Pick Hours
3835 Pier Road
Benton Harbor, MI 49022
269-605-9527
http://www.bigheadfarm.com/blueberries/zacharys-natural-blueberries.html
Contact farm for prices
Have you heard about Locavore90?
Locavore90 is a FREE program provided by Arcadia Farms and Flowerfield Enterprises that challenges and equips families in Southwest Michigan to incorporate more local foods into their diet during a 90 day period. Click here to learn more!