Today, we continued our U-Pick adventures at Voytko Farms. It took us about 40 minutes to get there from Mayfield Heights. This time of year, it’s all about blueberries. This farm also has currants and raspberries, but we didn’t even check out their current ripening status.
There is a huge sign as you approach the farm. It would be hard to pass them up! There’s a barn to check in and get information on picking and a board with prices and locations. Out back, there’s a bucket washing station and a port-a-jon.
It’s just a short walk to the blueberry bushes. Some of them are quite large.
Sally was fascinated with the buckets. It doesn’t take much to entertain her. Nick was enjoying a snack. I asked him if there were any in his bucket. He replied, “I’m eating them so my tummy can carry them.” It just doesn’t get better than the rationale of a 3 year old.
Even though Sally has been walking more, I still like to have the stroller in case she gets tired. Today, it was useful for carrying our berries, water and supplies. I use a bungee cord to attach the bucket to the stroller handle. It makes for great hands free picking. Luckily, the kids didn’t tip the stroller. We had a close call.
Our friends from the J joined us again today. We picked for a little over an hour The kids weren’t as into it today as some, but we still left with some berries. We made it home just in time to see the last shuttle take off. The radio was counting down from 2 minutes when we were a block away from home. Our timing was great!
We ended up with 3.25 pounds of blueberries for $4.88. They were $1.50 a pound. I also picked up another quart of maple syrup. It was $17.00. I’ve seen it in the $15-$18 range and I like the support the local farms that have U-Pick whenever I can.
The blueberries went straight into the freezer. Hopefully, we’ll be able to pick quite a few more before this season ends. I’d love to have 3 gallons frozen before we move to the next crop.
Voytko Farms is located at 11391 Franks Road, Auburn Township, OH 44023.
I think I am going to head over there next week – very close to my house
It’s fun. They usually send people to the west/back for “best picking”, but I think you’re better off looking down a couple of rows and finding some good bushes at the time you are there.