The End is Near

Can you sense it? We can. The end is near. Not an apocalyptic end, heck no. Nope, but it is nearing the end of the 2014 picking season. We know not the day, but it will be soon. The last day could be Sunday the 5th of October, or the 12th, but almost certainly not any longer after the 12th.

Berry-picking conditions have flipped from the early season, where now there are mostly overripe berries and few at peak ripeness. Pickers need to search and test (taste). The latest-ripening varieties are the 4 rows north of solar panels, closest the pasture. These are the highest quality now, but you can find pockets of awesomeness in sporadically throughout. The happiest pickers are those that come with low expectations of full buckets and revel in the peace of picking in most often solo conditions.

Dodging Frost Bullets: September 20

We have had almost daily warnings of frost for the last week or better.  Came close on the night of the 12th, but seemed to skirt by just a hair above freezing.  A hard frost/freeze before the berries all ripen seems inevitable this year.  Once we are froze out, we will post such.  Otherwise assume we have some decent picking conditions.

Picking Conditions Mid September

Picking conditions are great in the middle patch. Still great in the wide row in the middle, between the solar array and Klingville Road. You can find good picking in most of the middle patch and a few bushes in the back and front. Those late-ripening varieties in the middle-patch rows nearest the pasture are still quite unripe, but elsewhere it is about as good as it is going to get. The rain knocked a lot of overripe berries off the bushes. We had almost 3" of rain Wednesday in less than 24 hrs, but no worse for the wear.

Not many pickers during the work week, so it is quite quiet most of the time. Evenings are the most pleasant, although quite chilly (and damp) as of late.

Weather conditions

Wondering what the temperature, wind, and humidity conditions are at the farm? If you are familiar with metric units, or at least how to convert them to more familiar units, you can check on meteorological conditions at the farm collected every 15 minutes, uploaded to the internet ever two hours, and available over the past day, week, and month at: https://www.hobolink.com/p/47316a1a1d140ad082139599206946ab. Prefer reports in Fahrenheit? The hobolink data is also published on http://www.wunderground.com/personal-weather-station/dashboard?ID=KMICHASS2#history. Cold this weekend, either way you look at it.

Final Tally for the Fundraiser, Remaining Open the Rest of the Month

Unofficial tally is just under 2500 lbs for the weekend.  GREAT JOB COMMUNITY!  We are really pleased with the turnout and the great job that Baraga County Shelter Home and Barbara Kettle Gundlach Shelter Home did in terms of publicity and expertly staffing the facilities.  We are even more pleased with all of you who came out and picked.  We realize the conditions were challenging and we are proud of all of you for persevering and making this weekend a success. 

We are going to celebrate by staying open every day (daylight hours) the rest of the season.  We are not going to be around full time every weekend and most weekdays, so please come prepared with correct change (or check) and your own containers.  Should have good picking by the end of the week.  There will be some opening-day like picking in early October.  We will post when see the late-season varieties turn blue.

We have to catch up on some mowing, too, so it won't be quiet here all the time.  I also want to get some tractor time in on the weeknights.  Weather permitting work during the weeknights, we will keep things quiet on the weekends, at least Sundays.

Pulling the irrigation pump from the well on Saturday for some maintenance.  You might notice some extra equipment and some piping on the weekend (hopefully).

Thanks, again, everyone.  --John & Lynn

Fundraiser

The first day of the fundraiser was great! Over 1600 lbs of blueberries were weighed in yesterday (Saturday).  Today, the 2nd and final day of the fundraiser to benefit the local shelter homes, will experience pleasant weather and almost certainly less crowded picking.  Pickers will find good picking mainly in the long middle patch, where the solar array is, furthest from the parking.  It is always the best strategy to spend some time scouting the fields and finding bushes that have been ignored.  Lift up the hanging branches and peak inside, you will likely be rewarded for your efforts.