Jane Riddle plucks a plump blueberry off the bush and drops it in a bucket brimming with fruit.
“It’s a tradition,” she said. “I always try to come opening day if I can.”
Riddle, who spent childhood summers picking blueberries in western Michigan and now lives in Grand Haven, showed up to the first day Crossroads Blueberry Market operated its U-Pick field. People strolled through rows and rows of tall bushes Friday, July 15 popping berries in their mouths and buying buckets of freshly picked fruit.
“You can just grab a handful and eat,” Riddle said as she twisted another berry free.
It’s officially blueberry season in Michigan.
This week farms across the state are gearing up to harvest millions of pounds of blueberries while opening fields to U-pick customers.
“We’re expecting a good season, anticipating a nice crop,” said Amber DeHaan who runs Crossroads Blueberry Market in West Olive with her husband and parents.
