Closed for the Season!
By Steep Hill Farm | August 25, 2009
Well, it’s time. We had thought we’d have one last picking of blueberries, but, upon looking at the field, we decided there are not enough berries to do this. Maybe the birds had a dessert!
You know, blueberry season is like many other events in life (sorry, I’m going to be philosophical for a moment). First you have to get ready for the big event: you put a lot of effort into preparing the field and crop and hope and pray for the things you can’t control to be right (such as rain and sunshine amounts). Actually, this is about nine months (go figure)! Finally, it’s time to start the harvest. Advertising the crop availability and getting ready for sales is done. The farm is quiet as you wait to see if people are willing to take the time and effort to come to pick the blueberries.
The cars start coming up the Steep Hill bringing pickers excited to get those juicy blue berries. There are babies and children; teenagers and young adults; middle-aged people and ninety-year-old people going into the field with empty containers and coming out with full ones. But your work is just starting-for now you have to guide the pickers and tend the field at the same time. You chase the birds out and do what you can to protect the crop from insects and animals. You balance your own needs of sleep and relaxation with the need to be open for picking at the convenience of pickers. You open for picking when the berries are ripe and close down to allow the field to rejuvenate when you’re picked out. You do your best to create the right balance.
And then, all of a sudden, the farm is quiet again. The crop is harvested. Some pickers are sated and, unfortunately, some are disappointed because they didn’t get enough berries. You take stock of the season and think about the ups and downs. You laugh about the funny events and feel sad about the things you wished had gone better. You miss the friends that came to pick but relish your privacy once again. Life goes on.
We thank you for being part of Steep Hill Farm life this season. We’ll look forward to another event next year.
George and Brenda
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Closed
By Steep Hill Farm | August 22, 2009
I am sorry to report that we were picked out of berries once again. We may reopen for one more picking later this coming week. Please check our our blog this coming Wednesday or Thursday.
George
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Picking Information
By Steep Hill Farm | August 21, 2009
We will open today Friday at 8 am. and be open to 7 pm. Because of family commitments, we will be open only a half day on Saturday from 8 -12 and we will be closed on Sunday. We may reopen Monday depending on the berries remaining after the weekend picking . There is still some good picking .
George and Brenda
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Next Picking
By Steep Hill Farm | August 19, 2009
Okay-so here’s the update on picking hours! We will reopen Friday at 8 am. and be open to 7 pm. Because of family commitments, we will be open only a half day on Saturday from 8 -12 and we will be closed on Sunday. We may reopen Monday depending on the berries remaining after the weekend picking . There is still some good picking .
George
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Closed for Ripening
By Steep Hill Farm | August 17, 2009
We will be closed until the next set of berries ripen. We anticipate opening later in the week, possibly on Friday. Please check back Thursday for more definite information. With the wettest summer that anyone can remember in recent history, it has been a difficult year to predict the supply of berries. We try to make the picking as pleasant as possible and only open when there are a good supply of ripe berries. We hope to see you later in the week.
George and Brenda
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Sundays Picking
By Steep Hill Farm | August 16, 2009
Well, summer has finally arrived in earnest. I always have mixed feelings about all this intense heat because it’s really great for ripening of the berries, but it also makes for a hot day in the field. Most Saturday pickers came early and avoided the afternoon heat but surprisingly the heat didn’t keep away the heartiest of pickers.
Sunday appears that it will be equally as warm and sunny. So you should wear your hat and lather yourself up with sunscreen and come out early to beat the heat and enjoy the picking.
George and Brenda
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Open for picking
By Steep Hill Farm | August 15, 2009
Yes , we will be open for picking. The sun has been kind this week and the berries are finally beginning to ripen more consistently. We will open at 8 am. tomrrow and stay open to 7:00 pm.
Hope to see you in the patch.
George
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Closed For Ripening
By Steep Hill Farm | August 10, 2009
Because of the unusual summer and the effect it has had on the berries’ ripening, we will need to close until Saturday. There is a large supply of unripened berries that are just waiting for some more of that nice summer weather we’ve seen this past week. So please do not worry if you haven’t gotten your supply of fresh berries, they will be ready for you this coming weekend.
Hope to see you in the patch.
George and Brenda
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Light Sunday
By Steep Hill Farm | August 9, 2009
After being closed for several days we had a big crowd on Saturday and all pickers left the field with their baskets full. Because of the unusual summer weather and the large crowd picking on Saturday, Sunday’s picking will be on the light side.
There are plenty of berries still to ripen in the coming week. We will open for picking Sunday for people who want a few quarts. People who want larger quantities might want to wait for the next set of berries to ripen, which will be toward the end of the week (depending upon the weather).
George figures he walked at least 10-15 miles today showing people where to pick. It was definitely a “blueberry day”.
See you in the patch.
George and Brenda
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Open For Picking
By Steep Hill Farm | August 8, 2009
We will be re-open for picking today Saturday, August 8 from 8 am to 7 pm. The picking is very good. The sun these past few days has helped ripen the berries and the second picking should be plentiful.
We look froward to seeing you in the patch. Come on out and enjoy some great picking.
George
Topics: News, Updates & Daily Picking Conditions | No Comments »
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