Point Aconi U-pick having berry good season
POINT ACONI — Today’s forecast calling for rain is a welcome development for blueberry Upick operator Kevin Marsh.
Early Monday morning, pickers were coming out of the fields with buckets of the delicious berry which is ranked tops by many experts for antioxidants.
The U-pick, located on the Prince Mine Road, opened on Monday and will remain open for at least two to three weeks.
“My pickers are telling me the berries are the best they’ve been in a few years, and a little rain will make them even better for picking,” Marsh said. “We were getting calls from anxious pickers over the past few weeks but I assured them that we would have berries. But you have to pick them when the time is right. “This is our time to pick.” Marsh has operated the Upick for four years, and for the previous 10 years, sold his berries to a producer.
“I have three acres available and I’m working on another field for next year,” he said. “I have people who come prepared to pick and they often have their dishes filled within a half-hour or so.”
Marsh said he got calls from people who had concerns about coyotes on the property and he assured them that coyotes aren’t a problem.
“Once the scent of people gets in these fields, the coyotes don’t come around.”
He said a lot of people who visit his U-pick like the taste and quality of the low-bush blueberries.
“Blueberries are one of nature’s finest, a cup of blueberries has more nutrition than four cups of any other fruit.”
Marsh said there is a lot of work and planning involved in growing blueberries.
“Once the season is over, I’ll go in, cut some of the trees and brush and get the fields ready for next season,” he said.
“The biggest thing when it comes to blueberries is to have the patience to let them get ripe.
“You want folks to pick when it is a sea of blue.
“Right now, the only thing that will hurt them is frost and I’m sure there is no danger of that with the weather we are experiencing.”