Heat brings blueberries out earlier than usual

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.

More in Life

Brandon Hailey of Cytrus, center, plays the saxophone during a headlining show at Madam Lou’s on Friday, Dec. 29, 2023 in Seattle, Washington. (Olivia Vanni / The Herald)
Lynnwood-based funk octet Cytrus has the juice

Resilience and brotherhood take center stage with ‘friends-first’ band.

FILE - In this April 11, 2014 file photo, Neko Case performs at the Coachella Music and Arts Festival in Indio, Calif. Fire investigators are looking for the cause of a fire on Monday, Sept. 18, 2017, that heavily damaged Case’s 225-year-old Vermont home. There were no injuries, though a barn was destroyed. It took firefighters two hours to extinguish the blaze. (Photo by Scott Roth/Invision/AP, File)
Music, theater and more: What’s happening in Snohomish County

Singer-songwriter Neko Case, an indie music icon from Tacoma, performs Sunday in Edmonds.

The Moonlight Swing Orchestra will play classic sounds of the Big Band Era on April 21 in Everett. (submitted photo)
Music, theater and more: What’s happening in Snohomish County

Relive the Big Band Era at the Port Gardner Music Society’s final concert of the season in Everett.

2024 Honda Ridgeline TrailSport AWD (Honda)
2024 Honda Ridgeline TrailSport AWD

Honda cedes big boy pickup trucks to the likes of Ford, Dodge… Continue reading

Would you want to give something as elaborate as this a name as mundane as “bread box”? A French Provincial piece practically demands the French name panetiere.
A panetiere isn’t your modern bread box. It’s a treasure of French culture

This elaborately carved French antique may be old, but it’s still capable of keeping its leavened contents perfectly fresh.

(Judy Newton / Great Plant Picks)
Great Plant Pick: Mouse plant

What: Arisarum proboscideum, also known as mouse plant, is an herbaceous woodland… Continue reading

Bright green Japanese maple leaves are illuminated by spring sunlight. (Getty Images)
Confessions of a ‘plantophile’: I’m a bit of a junky for Japanese maples

In fact, my addiction to these glorious, all-season specimens seems to be contagious. Fortunately, there’s no known cure.

2024 Hyundai IONIQ 6 Limited (Hyundai)
2024 Hyundai IONIQ 6 Limited

The 2024 Hyundai IONIQ 6 Limited is a sporty, all-electric, all-wheel drive sedan that will quickly win your heart.

The 2024 Dodge Hornet R/T hybrid’s face has the twin red lines signifying the brand’s focus on performance. (Dodge)
2024 Hornet R/T is first electrified performance vehicle from Dodge

The all-new compact SUV travels 32 miles on pure electric power, and up to 360 miles in hybrid mode.

chris elliott.
Vrbo promised to cover her rental bill in Hawaii, so why won’t it?

When Cheryl Mander’s Vrbo rental in Hawaii is uninhabitable, the rental platform agrees to cover her new accommodations. But then it backs out. What happened?

Dominic Arizona Bonuccelli
Tangier’s market boasts piles of fruits, veggies, and olives, countless varieties of bread, and nonperishables, like clothing and electronics.
Rick Steves on the cultural kaleidoscope of Tangier in Morocco

Walking through the city, I think to myself, “How could anyone be in southern Spain — so close — and not hop over to experience this wonderland?”

Don’t blow a bundle on glass supposedly made by the Henry William Stiegel

Why? Faked signatures, reused molds and imitated styles can make it unclear who actually made any given piece of glass.

Support local journalism

If you value local news, make a gift now to support the trusted journalism you get in The Daily Herald. Donations processed in this system are not tax deductible.