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Pick Blueberries Day

Food · Nature · July 10

A day for heading out to a patch or farm to pick blueberries by hand, filling a pail and eating a few along the way.

Pick Blueberries Day falls on Saturday, July 10, 2027. That is 256 days away.

Blueberries grow on shrubs, in loose clusters that ripen a few at a time. Picking them by hand is slow, quiet work, and that is most of the appeal.

A ripe berry is deep blue all over, with a dusty pale coating called bloom. Berries with any red or green left are not ready, and they will not sweeten much once picked. The ripe ones come off with a gentle roll of the thumb. If you have to tug, leave it for another week.

Many farms let visitors pick their own, handing out buckets and pointing toward the rows. Wild blueberries grow in parts of the country too, low to the ground in sunny, open places. Either way, the rhythm is the same: crouch, roll, drop, repeat, and eat roughly one in every five as a quality check.

At home, the berries keep best unwashed and dry in the fridge until you are ready for them. Rinse them just before eating so the bloom stays on and they do not turn soft. They go into muffins, pancakes and pies, though a bowl of them plain, still cool from the morning, is hard to improve on.

A full pail is heavier than it looks, mostly because of all the bending it took to fill it.

Ways to celebrate

• Look for a pick-your-own blueberry farm nearby and spend a morning there.
• Try picking only fully blue berries and see how the sweetness compares.
• Bake a simple batch of blueberry muffins or pancakes.
• Share a container of fresh berries with a neighbor.
• Freeze a tray of berries in a single layer to save for later.

Dates

All national days on July 10

Also on July 10

• National Piña Colada Day
• National Kitten Day
• Teddy Bear Picnic Day

Categories: Food daysNature days