Berry alert.
Thanks to the streak of hot weather, the heat is on for berry picking.
“They’re lots of them,” said Charles Redford of Red Ranch Berry Farm. “They’re big, not quite as big as last year’s, but I’m pouring water on them so they don’t suffer too much.”
And the taste? “They’re quite good and very sweet,” Redford said.
His 1.5-acre U-pick, at 15130 294th St. NE in Arlington, opened last week. Hours are 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. Tuesday through Saturday. Fields of bluecrop and blueray berries await your loving hands.
Red Ranch has the baskets and, he adds, a bonafide bathroom. Not a portable potty.“I have a real flushable toilet,” he said.
So, lather on your sunblock and slip into sensible shoes.
“Bring nothing but money,” he said. He takes cash or checks only. Other U-picks take plastic. Some don’t take checks. Make sure you have the proper form of currency before you labor in the fields for your berry bounty.
Enjoy by the handful or in smoothies, pastries and jams.
No matter how you slice it, it’s better when you pick it.
Many of the U-picks are open now or are opening soon.
Here are some in Snohomish County:
Bailey Vegetables: 12711 Springhetti Road, Snohomish; 360-568-8826; baileyveg@gmail.com; www.baileyveg.com. Opens July 3. U-pick raspberries.
Biringer Farm: 21412 59th Ave. NE, Arlington; 425-259-0255; info@biringerfarm.com; www.biringerfarm.com. U-pick raspberries, blackberries and tayberries.
Blueberry Blossom Farm: 8628 Fobes Road, Snohomish; 360-568-4713; www.blueberryblossomfarm.com. Call or check website for hours open. U-pick blueberries.
Bolles Organic Farm: 17930 Tualco Loop Road, Monroe; 360-805-1980; tualco@msn.com. Call for open dates and hours.
Broers Farms: 18228 Tualco Road, Monroe; 425-248-9321 or broersfarm@aol.com. Call to check opening date and hours. Organic U-pick blueberries.
Bryant Blueberry Farm and Nursery: 5628 Grandview Road, Arlington; 360-474-8424; www.bryantblueberries.com.
Donnelly’s Riverbank Blueberries and Vegetables: 11827 Reiner Road, Monroe; 360-793-2114. U-pick blueberries and currants.
Garden Treasures Nursery &Organic Farm: 3328 Highway 530, Arlington; 360-435-9272; www.arlingtongardentreasures.com. U-pick blueberries, raspberries and tayberries.
Johnson’s Blueberries: 17520 187th Ave SE, Monroe; 425-345-4538; www.facebook.com/JohnsonsBlueberries. U-pick blueberries.
Mountainview Blueberry Farm: 7617 E. Lowell-Larimer Road, Snohomish; 360-668-3391; www.mountainviewblueberryfarm.com. Call or check website for opening date and hours.
Penryn Farm U-Pick Blueberries: 10923 South Lake Stevens Road, Lake Stevens; 425-257-0453. Call to check opening date and hours.
Schmidt Blueberry Farm: 1217 128th Ave. NE, Marysville; 360-659-1423, open daily starting July 2.
Raising Cane Ranch: 5719 Riverview Road, Snohomish. Open 11 a.m. to 4 p.m. Sunday at the Everett Farmers Market, www.raisingcaneranch.com. U-pick raspberries.
Whitehorse Meadows Farm: 38302 State Route 530 NE, Arlington; 360-436-1951; www.whitehorsemeadowsfarm.com. Call or check website for open date and hours. Certified organic blueberry farm with U-pick Spartans, Rubels and Jerseys.
More U-pick information is available at Red Rooster Route Farms at www.redroosterroute.com.
Talk to us
> Give us your news tips.
> Send us a letter to the editor.
> More Herald contact information.
