2024 Northeastern Maine Blueberry U-Pick Farms and Orchards - PickYourOwn.org
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Blueberry U-Pick Orchards in Northeastern Maine in 2024, by county
Below are the U-Pick orchards and farms for blueberries that we know of in this area. Not all areas of any state, nor even every state, have blueberries orchards that are open to the public. If you know of any others, please tell us using the add a farm form!
Remember to always check with the farm's own website or Facebook page before you go - or call or email them if they don't have a website or Facebook page. Conditions at the farms and crops can change literally overnight, so if you want to avoid a wasted trip out there - check with the farm directly before you go! If I cannot reach them, I DON'T GO!
PLEASE report closed farms, broken links and incorrect info using the "Report Corrections" form below.
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Hancock County
Shalom Orchard - ORGANIC, Organic blueberries and organic apples. Eastbrook Road, Franklin, ME . Phone: 207-565-2312. Email: shalomorchard@acadia.net. Open: call for hours and availability. Click here for a map and directions. . 1.7 miles from Route 182 & Route 200 N. Call for information on crop conditions and locations. We are a certified organic farm and everything we grow or produce is according to organic standards. We primarily grow organic fruit - apples, blueberries, cherries and raspberries - for our wines or for wholesale or retail sale from the farm. We also grow vegetables for retail sale through our CSA or from our farm store. We raise chickens for eggs and meat, and we raise registered Rambouillet sheep for wool and meat. We have for sale beautiful yarns, both handspun and organically mill-spun sportweight, both in natural colors and plant-dyed, as well as tanned pelts and fleece. We are committed to educating about organic farming and welcome school groups and tours. (UPDATED: October 2, 2018, JBS)
Washington County
Beddington Ridge Farm - wild blueberries Route 193, Beddington, ME . Phone: 207-638-2664. Email: rcvarin@rivah.net. Open: in dry weather August and September, call for hours. Click here for a map and directions. Beddington Ridge Farm Facebook page. . Email . Pick your own using your rakes or ours. Winnow and pick over the berries using a modern cleaning machine. Please call ahead. Restroom available. facebook page. Small farm in Eastern Maine produces perennial plants, cut flower bouquets, assorted jams, wild blueberries, dried flower wreaths and Christmas wreaths. Comments from a visitor on August 15, 2008: "This place is great! It's in the middle of the wild blueberry barrens of Maine. I could have purchased in a couple of dozen places on the way up from Mass. But it was worth the drive to experience picking lowbush berries with a blueberry rake. Ron the owner was awesome! He showed us how to use the rakes, and then after we picked our boxes full, Ron brought our berries over to his berry cleaning machine. Boy was that fun to watch! I have always liked lowbush wild berries better than the cultivated highbush ones. Just make sure you call or e-mail Ron before you go up there so he will be expecting you."
Smithereen Farm - CERTIFIED ORGANIC, apples, aronia berries, blackberries, blueberries, boysenberries, elderberries, flowers, gooseberries, raspberries (Autumn, red), raspberries (yellow), raspberries (Spring, yellow), raspberries (Autumn, yellow), raspberries (black), raspberries (Spring, black), raspberries (Autumn, black), strawberries, Other fruit or veg, Cider mill (fresh apple cider made on the premises), restrooms 306 Youngs Cove Road, Pembroke, ME 4666. Phone: (207) 726-4442. Email: severine@smithereenfarm.com. Open: all the time, honor box. Directions: Drive down Leighton point road, turn right on Youngs Cove road, follow road until blueberry land sign on left side of road, aprox 2 miles from Leighton point road. . Click here for a map and directions. Payment: Cash, only. Smithereen Farm Facebook page. . . July - September. We are certified organic for all crops! facebook page. (ADDED: August 05, 2019)
Blueberry Picking Tips, Recipes and Information
Blueberries are one of the easiest fruit to prepare and serve.
There's no peeling, pitting, coring or cutting. They have few natural pests,
(other than birds), so pesticides are generally unnecessary! This year's crop is
fantastic (see
related news story), thanks both to the weather and to
more farms planting more blueberry bushes due to increased consumer demand
over the past few years as more studies proclaim the anti-oxidant and other
health properties of blueberries.
If you are looking for information about a similar
berry, the saskatoon (also called the June berry or Serviceberry)
see this page about
saskatoons.
Picking
tips:
Select plump, full blueberries with a light gray-blue color. A berry with any
hint of red isn't fully ripened.
Ripening AFTER picking?
First, it is key to know that once picked, blueberries will NOT become any sweeter, nor will the flavor improve. The only change that occurs
is the color. They will APPEAR to ripen, but it is only a color change, from white to green to rose to red to pale blue to fully blue. So, white and green colored blueberries will not
"ripen" after they are picked; while blueberries that have already turned purple,
red or blue-ish usually DO change color after they are picked (if they are kept at room
temperature to "ripen").
As the blueberries ripen ON THE BUSH, the flavor goes from tastless to bitter to tasteless tart to tart blueberry flavor to sweet blueberry flavor.
Grocery stores sell blueberries that are tart, not sweet because they had them picked unripe by machine so they are very firm and can handled being
bumped around in shipping. They may look good, but are not as tasty as those picked when actually ripe.
So, the key is, PICK ONLY RIPE BERRIES!
How to pick blueberries
Since blueberries hang on the bushes in bunches a but like
grapes do, the easiest and fastest way to pick them is hold your bucket under
them in one hand and with your other hand, cup a ripe bunch and gently rub them
with your fingers. The ripe berries will drop into your bucket, while the
unripe ones will remain attached to the bush.
When the bushes are at peak, I can easily pick 2 gallons per
hour (if I'm not being distracted by the kids and the sun isn't too hot!).
A newbie might do 1 gallon per hour.and at the beginning or end of the season it
takes more time as the berries are not as plentiful nor concentrated
in clusters.
Tips for storing blueberries after harvesting:
Once picked, don't place the berries, still warm from the sun, in a
closed bag or container. Leave the container open so moisture doesn't form
in the container.
Don't wash berries until just before using, to prevent berries from
becoming mushy.
Chill berries soon after picking to increase shelf life. Store
your fresh blueberries in the refrigerator as soon as you get them home,
without washing them, in a covered bowl or storage container. If
refrigerated, fresh-picked blueberries will keep 10 to 14 days.
Freeze berries in freezer containers without washing to keep
the skins from toughening. Place berries one layer deep. Freeze,
then pour the frozen berries into freezer containers. Because unwashed
blueberries freeze individually, they can be easily poured from containers
in desired amounts. Remember both frozen and fresh berries should be
rinsed and drained just before serving. Just before using, wash the berries
in cold water.
Blueberry Measurements and Conversions
Keep in mind that blueberries vary considerably in density and moisture
content, so these ranges are approximates.
1 gallon of blueberries weighs about 7.5 lbs or (4
liters of blueberries is about 3.5 kg)
1 pint of fresh blueberries weights about 3/4 of a pound. (1
liter of blueberries is about 700 grams)
1 pound of fresh blueberries is usually between about 2 and
3 cups
of berries.
If you have trouble with blueberries settling to the bottom of muffins and
blueberry breads, try one or more of these tips:
Coat them with flour before adding to the batter. Just gently shake the
blueberries in a bag (plastic or paper) with 1/2 cup of flour, then dump
them mix in a sieve to remove excess flour.
It may just be that your batter is too thin. try making the batter a
little thicker!
Fill the muffin cups or baking pan up to 1/4 full with batter (which
hasn't had blueberries added to it yet); then stir the blueberries into the
remaining batter, and continue to fill the muffin cups or bread pan. The
blueberries will start off higher in the mix!