It’s blueberry season here in New England – hooray! We have very productive, established high bush blueberry plants here on the farm, but we all love them so much it seems we can’t ever get too many.
So, the other day I woke up to a beautiful, sunny day and decided to go blueberry picking at a fellow blogger’s farm. Rivard Farm is in Springvale, Maine, about 45 minutes away.
After a nice ride in the country, I pulled into Rivard Farm, drove up the hill, and parked along side at least another dozen cars. There was plenty of parking, and everyone was in a good mood greeting and chatting with other pickers. I didn’t count the rows, but there was a huge field full of well maintained blueberry bushes. There was plenty of room to space yourself from other people picking blueberries. They have blueberry bushes – lots of them.
The bushes were loaded with blueberries with some branches reaching to the ground they were so heavy.
Picking blueberries this big is like picking grapes. They are almost the size of a quarter. It sure didn’t take me long to fill my containers when they were this big.
They also have tomatoes in their hoop house. They are planted in black plastic bags being fed with an irrigation system. Interesting process that appears to be working well for them judging by the almost ripe tomatoes. So, it shouldn’t be long before they’ll have tomatoes for sale too.
Rivard Farm is a family owned farm since 1926. While according to their website, the senior Rivards may be considering retirement, the family including the eight children are looking to the future and how the Rivard Farm can continue to be a vibrant and growing part of the community. Check out their website, blog or Facebook page and keep up with their berries, hoops, bees, farmers markets, and growth plans for the future.
The summer growing season in New England is short – sad but true. If you live in the Maine/NH area and want to buy and eat local, check our Rivard Farm and their delicious blueberries. Happy picking and eating!
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