Picking Blueberries: Are you an LBP?
Blueberries/Blueberries

Picking Blueberries: Are you an LBP?

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It is one of my favorite times of the year–blueberry picking season. Wondering what an LBP is? It stands for Lazy Blueberry Picker. That is someone who goes to the first blueberry bush they see and yanks off a handful of berries without regard to whether they are all ripe or not.

Author blueberry picking @farmathome in Poolesville, MD

If you are an LBP, you probably have gone home with your blueberry bucket and tasted sour berries and are not sure what all the fuss is about picking them fresh.

Here is my advice for getting the sweetest berries. Gently pull the berries from the plant. If they fall off into your hands, they are ripe and sweet. If they are purple underneath, they are not ripe yet and will be sour.

Blueberries from @farmathome in Poolesville, MD

A few more tips:

  • Watch out for poison ivy–“leaves of three, let it be”
  • Wear a hat
  • Wear closed toe shoes
  • The season is short. Check your local area for places to pick in mid- June.

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Comments ( 4 )

  1. Shelly
    What do you do with the blueberries?
    • HilarySchwab
      Good question. Blueberries have a very short shelf life in your refrigerator (about a week).I like to eat them plain, or with yogurt. I also love to bake with them, making blueberry pancakes, muffins, or my favorite, blueberry coffee cake.(Coffee cake recipe to come soon!) If you do not plan to eat them all within a week you can freeze them. Place washed blueberries on a baking sheet (keep them separated). Place the sheet in the freezer. Once they are frozen put them in a freezer bag. Take out as many as you like when ready to use the frozen berries. (Freezing them changes their texture, so I usually only bake with the frozen ones).
  2. Scott Richards
    Great advice, @ediblegardengirl!
  3. Jane

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