10 tips for fruit and veggie picking novices
Over the last few years, we’ve spent a number of hours picking fruit and veggies. At least once each summer we head to a local park for blueberries and in the fall up north for apples. Add to that the times we’ve stopped at farms when we’re out biking or driving on vacation, and we’re becoming pretty seasoned pickers.
As a result of a few fiascoes we’ve encountered along the way, I’ve come up with some tips I’d like to share that I hope will help you enjoy the fun of picking while avoiding some of the challenges.
1. Avoid overbearing heat, wind, rain and snow. Not much fun to be battling the elements on picking day. If you have a choice, go early in the morning in the summer, or in the afternoon in cooler weather.
2. Be prepared for whatever weather you may encounter. Living in the northwest, that means packing everything from sun hats to wool jackets. The other day while picking blueberries, a sudden storm came up and we hid from hail under the bushes! And of course working in the sun can be debilitating, so be sure to wear protective clothing.
3. Crouch. If you’re berry picking off of bushes where others have come before you, the fruit is likely picked over where you can easily reach. Especially with raspberries and blueberries, I find crouching and looking up opens treasures to me that others miss.
4. Learn how to pick. Some veggies and fruits will ripen beautifully off the vine. Others not so much. How much of the plant should you take as you pick? If you’ve never tried this before, just ask the farmer or whomever is available before you rip plants out of the ground or pull entire branches off trees.
5. Ask first, but sample while you work as long as you’re picking food free of pesticides and other chemicals. Part of the pleasure of picking is savoring. I’ve never found a farm where they care if you sample as you go. But when in doubt, ask. And if you’re the kind who freaks out about eating without washing first (you or the fruit), you’ll just have to wait until you get home!
6. Avoid forcing kids to participate for more time than they can take. Nothing worse than whining kids in the fields. Let them pick for 15 minutes, then rest and if they don’t want to do more, leave it. This way, the next time you suggest picking, they’re far more likely to be enthusiastic. After a couple of times allowing them to go at their own pace, you may be surprised at how much longer they are able (and willing) to last.
7. Wear the proper clothing. This isn’t just about covering up from the sun or being warm enough in the crisp fall air. It’s about bringing gloves and wearing boots, not open-toed shoes. The other day we were picking blueberries which normally don’t require gloves, when we both got pricked by very sharp weeds growing up through the middle of the bush. I’ve also had my feet bitten by ants when I didn’t abide by this rule.
8. Turn off your cell phone. I was so annoyed the other day during our blueberry expedition when a guy in the next row was yakking on his phone for more than a half hour. I couldn’t escape because it’s early in the season so there only a couple of rows we could access. I could have asked him to stop, but just because a guy is picking blueberries doesn’t mean he’s not packing a weapon.
9. Bring your own non-plastic containers. The blueberry farm where we do our picking supplies plastic buckets lined with plastic bags. When you’re finished picking, they remove and weigh the bags and send you on your merry way. We bring our own containers and ask that they be weighed when we first arrive, and go merrily on our way plastic-free.
10. If you’re going to be out for a while after you pick, bring a cooler with you. While most fresh fruits and veggies can last a couple of hours unrefrigerated, in the summer, some can become limp or, as in the case of raspberries, turn to mush.
Have any picking tips? Share them please.
Lynn Colwell and Corey Colwell-Lipson are mother and daughter and authors of Celebrate Green! Creating Eco-Savvy Holidays, Celebrations and Traditions for the Whole Family, and founders of Green Halloween®.
