End of 2nd Week

Despite the abundance of berries, pickers have been sparse and sporadic. Don't blame them, it has been hot and humid. Some annoying bugs (blackfly like but non-biting) in the early morning and late evening, when the temps are more pleasant. To avoid the bugs you have to pick in the heat, apparently. Normally don't have bugs this time of year, nor the heat nor the humidity, a trifecta of unpleasantries...

In my opinion, the best picking is in the eastern half of the large, middle patch. Most people park at the western end and don't venture far enough to get to the loaded bushes, choosing instead to pick bushes that have been picked many times already. They are getting berries and it is still taking less than an hour to pick a gallon.

At least another week or so of picking, depending how the berries handle all this moisture and heat. These conditions are new to us, so we are even less certain about predicting the future. It is not like we are ever certain about our predictions...