Wild Blueberries Close to Leyden Glen Farm

First off this week, here’s a good article from the NYTimes Magazine section by Michael Pollan about food and cooking that might get you thinking. I wanted to link to it before it disappears. If you don’t get a chance to read it, print it out for later – it is long and I know that sometimes it is impossible to fit something like this into a busy day! Me too - I have the same problem. It has taken me four days to read it!

Here in western Massachusetts it is wild blueberry harvest time. Our neighbors have been harvesting their wild blueberries for a week now. Julia and I drove up to the field last week to see what the crop looked like. It was amazing. I think the water has actually helped the berries! They are literally dripping off the little plants. I personally love their color - the rich dark ultramarine blue is breath-taking. The photo below is at sunset.


I wrote about the burning of the blueberry fields two springs ago here. The burning of the plants forces them to re-grow. On the new growth, the second year, berries grow in abundance. It is very exciting to see the harvest after ten years of the fields not being harvested. I have been taking the wild blueberries to the local Farmer's Markets I have been attending to sell them for my neighbors.


We couldn't resist a little sampling.

The next morning, a bit after sunrise, I drove up to the field to see if I could get any good photos. I got there a bit too late - the sun was already too high in the sky. Here's what it looks like from the field looking to the east and the mountains of New Hampshire.

Here are the berries covered in dew early that morning.

If you are local and want to buy the berries direct from the farm, follow the directions to our farm. At the very end of the directions (at the end of S. Schoolhouse Road), take a left and go up the hill. The berry shack is the middle barn. There is a little sign. They are open for sales from 1 to 5 in the afternoon or by chance.

The berries are $22. for a box of 10 pounds and $42 for a box of 20 pounds. They freeze beautifully. It's nice to go into a winter with a bunch of wild blueberries in your freezer for pies, scones, muffins, and yogurt.