Blueberry Picking is Healthy and Fun

Summer is packed full of so many fun activities like making a splash in the pool, waterparks, building sandcastles on the beach and overall just getting to enjoy the great outdoors! For us, one activity that really kicks off the summer season is blueberry picking. We’ve been picking lots of blueberries. I love to use them for jams, jellies, and pies, but they’re also wonderful in pancakes, cobblers and of course, in handfuls on their own. Each season we love to go to College Run Farms in Surry, Va. It’s a quick ferry ride over the James River for us, which is an adventure in itself.

Blueberries just seem to taste so much sweeter when you pick them yourself! After picking, we enjoy their homemade ice-cream, which is absolutely delicious and a great way to cool down.

If you’ve never been picking before, here are some helpful tips & tricks to make your first picking adventure fun and tasty!

Making the Most of Your Next Blueberry Picking Adventure

Depending on where you pick, you may need to bring your own bucket! Whether you are at a patch in someone’s backyard or a blueberry farm, you’ll need a way to get all those berries home, so be sure to bring a container big enough for plenty of berries!
Summer heat in Virginia can really get to you if you’re not used to it or careful of how you handle it. We definitely recommend picking earlier in the mornings or late evenings when it’s not so hot. Blueberries grow best in full sun so wherever you’re picking will definitely be a sunny spot. Lather on some sunscreen, wear a hat and keep a water bottle handy!
Since berry picking is an outdoor activity you are sure to run into some bugs. Anything that grows will attract bugs and potentially other animals so be on the lookout. Bug spray and closed-toe shoes will definitely help with those biting pests.
Let’s not forget, you may get a little messy. Blueberries get their sweetness from all the juice in them so you’re likely to walk away with stained fingers and possibly stained clothes. Bust out the old t-shirts and jeans you don’t mind getting a little dirty.
Now for the picking! Be sure to look all over the bush for berries, not just eye level. Blueberries love the sun so you’ll find plenty higher up on the bush but you’ll also find plenty on the lower branches that others have missed. Ripe berries will roll right off the branch so if you roll the berries between your thumb and palm, the ripe ones should fall right off.
Blueberries are great fresh but are easily frozen for later use. Find a shallow container for storing your fresh berries and wait to wash them until you’re going to use them. If you plan on freezing them, wash the berries and spread them over a tray to dry completely before putting into bags for the freezer. Allowing them to dry completely before freezing will make sure they don’t stick together once they do freeze.
Now for the hardest part of having fresh blueberries, which recipes to make with them! Smoothies, cobbler, mufflins, pancakes…the possibilities are endless! A favorite of ours is smoothies.

Simple Blueberry Banana Smoothie

This quick and easy Blueberry Banana Smoothie is a great option for breakfast, snack time, or even dessert. It packs Vitamin C, potassium, healthy fats, and fiber that is a delicious treat. Frozen berries will create a slightly thicker smoothie, so if you plan to serve this through a straw, I recommend doing either frozen blueberries OR bananas, but not both.

Hint: you can not taste baby spinach in smoothies.

Ingredients

1 cup fresh or frozen blueberries
1 ripe fresh or frozen sliced banana
1 cup lightly packed baby spinach
1 cup milk (we like almond milk)
1-2 teaspoons ground flaxseed, chia seed, OR hemp seed (optional)
1-2 tablespoons peanut, almond, cashew, OR sunflower seed butter (optional)

Directions

Add all ingredients to a blender and blend on low for about 30 seconds. Increase the speed to high for 30-60 seconds or until very smooth.
Serve immediately or store in an airtight container in the fridge and use within 4 hours. (Shake before serving.)