Let's call it a year, eh.

Sorry for the belated update. In case you didn't notice, we closed last week. We appreciate everyone's participation in this year's harvest (as predicted, an average year, about 4,500 lbs picked). Thanks, too, if you and your family and friends checked out the animals. Hopefully you will notice the improvements when you visit next year.

limping to the end

Checked the fields this evening, Wed., Sep. 16. Picking has remained slow and those rows that have been holding out on ripening continue to do so. There are likely only a hundred pounds or so still on a few rows of bushes. Picking a full bucket on a given day remains an iffy proposition. Despite that, we will continue to allow picking for those that want to, at least for another weekend.

According to Lynn on the morning of Friday, Sept. 11: "I looked out back and I say 20% ripe on the late bushes. The back field looks about 40% with whats left."

The Hoorah Fizzled

If you are reading this from far away and were considering coming to pick today (Sunday, Aug. 6) or this coming week, don't, the picking is too slow. Just to spite me, it seems, the remaining berries continue to ripen slowly and what was ripe got picked through pretty thoroughly over Friday & Saturday. There still might be a bonanza bush here or there to find, but I couldn't find any. Lynn wants us to close this week and re-open next weeked for one last time. Who am I to argue. Feel free to come out today and Labor Day. You can always visit the animals. Bring work cloths, lots to do around here.

Is Labor Day the last hoorah?

Might be the last hoorah this Labor Day weekend. Those rows of small bushes that are loaded with berries still were not quite ripe on Thursday, but should ripen any time.

There are still berries to be picked on the bigger-bush varieties. Best strategy is to go to the middle (people start at the ends) and lift up the branches, you will eventually find a motherlode of berries that have gone unnoticed.

Caution: watchout for hornet/wasp nests! You would think with three weeks of picking that all of them would be found but, alas, there still can be a ground nest that goes unnoticed for awhile. Despite still discovering a nest every week or so, hardly anyone has been stung. Good reflexes and attentiveness to the presence of wasps and hornets are the keys. Don't mean to scare, just encourage awareness.