Maine Wild Blueberry Weekend

Description

Visit Worcester's Wild Blueberries, a low bush blueberry field we are currently harvesting as well as a field that will be harvested next year. We rotate our fields so that we pick 35 acres each year and have another 35 acres which will be harvested the following year. During the field visit you will have the opportunity to try your hand at hand raking wild blueberries. We will also demonstrate our walk-behind mechanical pickers. Next, we will take you inside the factory where we process and pack our wild blueberries for sale. Food safety is a major issue in the processing area so you will get a brief lesson on what you must do if you want to try your hand at processing or packing berries. We will explain how the fresh lines operate and you will be able to see how we handle both the raw berries and the finished products. We will also explain how we comply with the USDA tracking system. Each individual product has a tracking number to indicate the field where the wild blueberries were picked and the date they were picked. Lastly, we will visit the value-added kitchen area. Here you will see the various value-added products we make including blueberry jam, blueberry vinaigrette, and blueberry syrup and have the opportunity to purchase these products as well as any of our fresh pack pints, quarts and/or 5 and 10 pound boxes of fresh wild blueberries.

A representative from the Piscataquis County Soil and Water Conservation District ( PCSWCD) will be joining us on Sunday of the Wild Blueberry Weekend. They will have a table with a variety of information about “their educational services, brochures for our public lands ….and resources geared toward forestry and agriculture” Contact Sarah Robinson sarah.robinson@piscataquisswcd.org