• Tuesday-What'sUP August 13 - 12:47 pm

Brenda Leigh checks in today with a berry picking report from the eastern end of the U.P., over near Brimley. She found the berries to be quite plentiful and ready for picking, but so were the bugs. If it hadn't been for those annoying insects, Brenda would probably still be out there picking. As it is, she ended up with an eye swollen shut after a several bites during this berry picking session.

In the first two photos, you can see the burned off area where these blueberries are flourishing. When a plot of land has a fire on it, the berries grow quite well for a number of years afterwards, so it's always good picking where fire has swept through previously.

Brenda's third photo shows a different variety of blueberry, called the huckleberry. Note how much darker blue the huckleberry is than the blueberry. This is what Wikipedia says... In the Northwestern US alone, there are at least 12 native members of the Vaccinium Genus that are commonly called Blueberries, Huckleberries, Bilberries, Whortleberries, Grouseberries, and Cranberries.

When Brenda goes out picking berries, it is sometimes an all day event, so she goes out prepared with "rest stop" supplies like a hammock for stretching out her back after being bent over the bushes for hours, along with some sustenance like veggies and humus. The hammock also doubles as a chair for her to take a break sitting on. Bonus is that it's much easier to take along than a lawn chair. Now that's what I call being well prepared for a day of Blueberry picking!

Blueberries on home made vanilla ice cream sounds so good!

Hope your eye is back to normal, Brenda!!
My favorite berry is the blackberry but I think blueberries are probably the healthiest of all.
I love blueberry yogurt!;9

Ah! Bloobs! Makes me nostalgic for my childhood vacations and the Sturgeon River area.

Mmmm...looks good!
My nephew was at Tahquamenon Falls for the first time last weekend...said the bugs were bad, but he said he can't wait to go back and hike the lower to the upper.

MMMMM!!!! Blueberry picking time is here. I always like stumbling across a patch of the darker huckleberries. They taste better and are juicier. That is based on taste buds and not scientific fact.

First of all, Brenda you are amazing and you sure don't let any grass grow up under your feet!

second, those blueberries look sooo good, I'm with JT, bring on the vanilla ice cream! Thanks for the taste o vision!! LOL

I'd browsed a book (or 2 or 6 or 7) about
permaculture. This Genus loves acidic soil [e.g.,
sand] that is moist and well-drained. But how do
you get mutually exclusive drained & wet? The
permaculturist said that studying them in the wild
revealed that a buried rotting log below the bush
holds the moisture that sand fails to hold.
Hence, for blueberries plant a log first!
Rhododendrons also like acidic soil, as does
wintergreen (which likes shade vs sunshine for
berries.) Now you know what to do with wet
firewood. :-)

I must admit-i was never that prepared for picking
Blueberries. However-we did pack a lunch and take
our three boys. The way each son picked berries
showed his personality to a degree. son #1 got
right at it and picked a bucketful in serious
manner and without much waste or dirt. Son # 2-
picked a few-then was juggling berries-shooting
berries at others or simply daydreaming. I do not
think he ever filled a bucket. Son number 3
always tried his best. He picked everything in
sight and did quite well-there were always a lot
of little sticks and leaves but he was smaller
than the other boys and he gave it a good
shot.great pics Brenda!

I like Son #2's approach. :)

LOVELY shots brenda..love them blueberries..but of
course only second are they to my most favorite..the
thimbleberry..and always stock up on them when i am
at home in god"s country.. taint nothin better..

The scene looks familiar, lol! We just did the picking last week and they were delicious. They're now frozen and safely in the freezer. Great pictures, Brenda!

Love blueberries.

Wild blueberries and morel mushrooms may be the two finest foods on earth.