Because of all the rain this summer, officials say its already turning out to be a strong harvest. Usa today mentions sb blueberries as a great upick destination. Blueberry season in southwest michigan castle in the country. Listed below are 18 farms, fields and berry patches where you can pick your own blueberries. In the growing season immediately following the pruning, the vegetative and. Strawberries usually show up by mid to late june, followed by blueberries in early to midjuly, and a. Welcome christmas christmas christmas 2015 homepage happy valentines day. Michigan is the number one state of highbush blueberry production. Blueberry season also means scarves and steaminghot muffins. Its a blueberry boom in michigan s upper peninsula. Sundays storm caused little damage in southwest michigan. They are dominated by warm season grasses, herbs, and flowers with no or few trees. Wild blueberry bushes inhabit bogs and swampland, especially near the edge of a lake or stream. Crossroads blueberry market is a family owned business producing fresh michigan blueberries located in grand haven, michigan.
Michigan, and occur infrequently in the northern lower peninsula and the far western counties in the upper peninsula. Jul 24, 2011 wild blueberries vaccinium corymbosum are ripening now. The wild blueberry is one of four fruit crops native to north america. Michigan blueberries are grown, harvested and processed by 575 family farms. Blueberry season means long, hot summer days with icycold lemonade. Michigan blueberry season is ripe michigan farm news.
If you want plump, sunripened blueberries, dont miss the peak of their season. Whats in season in february 2020, and other timely information. Canadian production of wild and cultivated blueberries in 2015 was 166,000. Its southwest michigan blueberry season castle in the country. Jul 12, 2014 finding upper michigan s wild blueberries jason asselin. Prepare to go wild sunday august 23 at the 6th annual wild blueberry festival at evergreen brick works. Michigan blueberry growers produce about 100 million pounds of blueberries every year, making the state a leader in blueberry production. Jul 19, 20 july is prime berrypicking season in minnesota. Canadas first nations people consumed wild blueberries for centuries before. There is something extraordinary about wild beauty of restoration oaks ranch. This wild blueberry commerce benefits from vertical integration of growing, processing, frozen storage, marketing and transportation within relatively small regions of the province. Sep 21, 2017 although southern lower michigan is famous for its blueberry farms, its wild blueberries rival domestic ones for taste. Blueberries, strawberries and raspberries are coming out from the dormant stage but prevailing low temperatures are delaying plant growth and development.
After clearing some of the land by hand during evenings, weekends, and holidays, joe and his son, joe jr. Michigan also has two species of lowbush blueberries that only grow a few inches high, while the highbush blueberry grows several feet tall. Some people are allergic to an otherwise nonpoisonous plant. Can anyone let me know how the wild blueberries are doing up in the up. How new jersey tamed the wild blueberry for global production. Midsummer, blueberries come into season in michigan in july, and you can. Blueberry bushes typically bear fruit in the middle of the growing season. The small fruit crop season is underway in west central michigan. Bring your friends and travel to a nearby farm to pick fresh blueberries. The dnr met up with us earlier this morning to show us how to find wild blueberries. They are said to be higher in antioxidants than even a wild blueberry. Woodland enterprises west michigan blueberries, upick or. Blueberries are a great source of antioxidants that may prevent diseases such as cancer.
Michigans pick your own farms and orchards for fruit, vegetables, pumpkins and more. Michigan blueberry season is ripe august 10, 2015 category. I will be traveling to marquette in the next few days and would love to pick some wild blueberries prefer over commercial upick them farms. This variety is big and bountiful the largest earlyseason blueberry. Apr 24, 2015 better blueberry weed control for 2015 avoid herbicide resistance and obtain better weed control in blueberries by combining tank mix partners with different modes of action. More than 50 percent of michigan blueberries are shipped to the fresh market, with the rest frozen, pureed, concentrated or canned for valueadded products. The upick blueberry season is in full swing here in southwest michigan. It took us two days of picking to get 22 cups last summer. There is no other festival as grand or as delicious as the wild blueberry capital of michigan s wild blueberry festival. Bernard zandstra, and eric hanson, michigan state university extension, department of horticulture april 24, 2015. Concord berry size is very large due to all the rains earlier this spring. For people who want test that theory for themselves, they have to know what they need.
When i say wild, i dont necessarily mean foraged, just the wild lowbush cultivar with the tiny berries. The state of michigan, alone, creates over 100 million pounds of blueberries a year. Better blueberry weed control for 2015 msu extension. You just basically need get yourself something to put blueberries in and some bug spray is a good thing, pepin said. Bodtke sheds light on the different varieties grown by blueberry farmers, and how the crops differ by timing during the season. Heres how to forage, find and savor these tiny treats. Michigan blueberries crossroads blueberry market grand. I remember that near ki sawyer ab had lots of them on the side of the road but i dont know which road.
Select upper peninsula streams no longer have increased brook trout daily possession limit. Blueberries, blueberries, blueberries mass great outdoors blog. Harvested acres and the yield per acre were down 2. These are highbush blueberries, closely related to the commerciallyfarmed berries grown near kalamazoo. Theyre pretty easy to find in ontario, but i havent found them here yet. The blueberry patch of sawyer, michigan celebrating 41 years 19782019 we. On a side note, the red raspberries are ready, but the black raspberries are a couple weeks away in the nlp. It looks like the blueberry season will go for another 12 weeks and blackberries are coming into full swing. Jun 11, 2012 while this helped the blueberry industry develop across the united states, the original low bush varieties or wild blueberries are said to have the superior flavor. Today i found wild blueberries, strawberries, blackberries, and black raspberries within a 100 yard stretch in south central michigan, which for some reason, i thought was pretty cool.
Blueberries are perennial flowering plants with blue or purplecolored berries. Southwest michigan fruit regional report august 4, 2015 msu. Our farm produces a wide variety of michigan blueberries, supplying us with the perfect foundation for our fresh baked goods, seasonal fruits, and gourmet michigan blueberry items. Where can i wild blueberries in the upper peninsula of. Official website for the paradise area chamber of commerce wild blueberry fesitval. Wild blueberries have a twoyear crop cycle, so owners prune fields every other year with rotary mowers. Wild blueberries michigan sportsman online michigan. Tom bodtke, of cornerstone ag enterprises in south haven provides an overview of michigan s 2015 blueberry season.
Michigan bulb company offers quality products for every gardener at great value prices, since 1943. Varieties of blueberries more commonly grown in massachusetts are berkley, bluecrop, coville and earliblue. Maine wild blueberries are frozen and shipped across the country. They range from 2 to 6 feet high and produce a forest of greenish or reddish zigzag twigs. This page has a table below that tells when each fruit or vegetable is normally ready to be harvested in michigan. Fortunately the blackberry crop this year is looking mighty fine. Michigan bulb company shop flower bulbs, perennials, and shrubs. In the early 1950s joe and donna czaika bought land south of tawas city and west of us23. Jul 30, 2017 blueberries are ripe for picking in michigan, one of the top blueberry producing states. Aug 12, 2009 as a child i have fond memories of picking wild blueberries, in the up, but alas i was too young to pay much attention to their locals. Peanuts are not poisonous but many people cannot eat them. Michigan crop harvest calendar when fruit and vegetables.
Jul 30, 2017 wild blueberries tend to be smaller than ones bought at the stores, but blueberry connoisseurs say the wild varieties have a bigger flavor. Jul 15, 2008 we ended up with 20 cups in 5 hours of picking. Because wild blueberries grow on their own, they are a lowmaintenance crop. We also have a page with links to our own simple instructions on canning, freezing and drying many fruits and vegetables, such as how to make jam, apple butter. Swd is a pest of ripening fruit and numbers increase as wild berries. Upper peninsula of michigans pick your own farms and orchards for fruit, vegetables. On average, 80% of quebec wild blueberries are harvested on farms 21 million kg, the remaining 20% being harvested from public forests 5 million kg. Vanlinden said she thinks the season will last to the end of the month. I am trying to find out where are good places to pick wild blueberries. Located in howell, michigan the farm is strictly upick, offering an exceptional variety of fruits. Highbush and lowbush blueberries are native to the eastern united states. July is often bonanza time for finding wild berries in minnesota. Quick drive from zeeland, holland, allendale, standale, hudsonville, grandville, jenison, west olive.
If playback doesnt begin shortly, try restarting your device. As with any wild food, the first time you eat it you should keep an uncooked sample. Unfortunately for me i only got one package last season and i think the pack i bought was sitting on. Garden guides michigan wild berry plant identification. Wine grape growers should apply a botrytis fungicide at veraison to reduce lateseason fruit rots. Michigan is the leading producer of cultivated blueberies, harvesting 87. From triedandtrusted to totally unique, shop perennials, bulbs, garden kits and more. Field owners are handsoff throughout most of the growing season, although they often introduce bees to naturally pollinate the bushes. Where to find saskatoon berries in michigan 2015 eat like no. Golden raspberries, wild blackberries, and wild blueberriesberry nice. The blueberry patch of sawyer, michigan celebrating 41 years 19782019 we are a family owned allready. While out hiking in nature we discovered a huge patch of wild blueberries that we had no idea was even here. Usa today says sb blueberries is a great upick destination. Apr 21, 2020 west central michigan small fruit update april 21, 2020 published on april 21, 2020.
128 1186 1194 844 144 958 1092 927 1041 210 182 37 373 1166 1387 654 489 577 88 1198 323 246 1245 560 626 603 1385 1094 524 461 353 1128 1261 588 159 974