Traverse City: Blueberry picking

The cutest blueberry pickers ever.

We went to Traverse City with our friends D, S and their children M and L. Both of the kiddos are the cutest and the short trip included kid-friendly tours and activities. I tried. So we went to blueberry picking after a very disappointing cancellation of the kid cruise along the lake. Turned out to be a great idea both for the adults and kids. And look how cute L is up there with the blueberries. Such a happy mini blueberry!

스튜트가르트에서 알고 지내던 G의 동료와 가족들이 디트로이트에 3년 머물기로 결정된 후, 우린 바로 디트로이트/미시간 소개쟁이들로 변신, 결국 지난주에 짧은 주말여행을 함께 다녀왔다. 꼬마 둘을 데리고 다니는 여행이라 아이들 중심의 여행으로 난 스케줄을 짰는데 제일 기대했던 짧은 크루즈가 날씨로 인해 취소되는 상황 발생. 아이들과 함께하는 여행은 거의 처음이라 약간 당황했지만 바로 블루베리 농장 투어를 발견. 저렇게 귀여운 블루베리들 같으니. 

No throwing berries. Because the first thing you would want to do is throw the berries midair when you can clearly pop them into your mouth. The blueberry season is usually the start of autumn, and it is a good idea to call beforehand. We went to Buchan’s Blueberry Hill, but there are also other place that offer blueberry farms and other places that offer kid-friendly activities like Hay mazes, pumpkin patches and farm animal zoos. The Buchan’s is a family run fruit farm, including blueberries, peaches and apples. Although I don’t think history makes a big part of the experience of picking fruits, it does claim itself as a 100-year old family run farm and that is pretty impressive.

블루베리 농장 규칙 중 하나: 블루베리 던지지 말것. 왜 처음부터 블루베리를 던질 생각을 할 수 있을지 잘 모르겠지만 일단 규칙들을 숙지하고 바로 블루베리 밭으로 출발. 날씨가 따뜻해서 베리 종류가 워낙 잘 자란다는 북부 미시간. 지난번에는 체리 농장에 다녀왔는데 이번에는 블루베리. 개인적으로 난 블루베리 농장보다 체리 농장이 훨씬 신기했는데 체리 나무들이 꽤 많이 난다는 이탈리아에서 온 이 분들은 모두 블루베리밭에서 감탄하기 시작. G도 신기해하며 바로 블루베리를 따기 시작하더니 나와 결국 경쟁했지만 결국 내가 이김.

Blueberry picking is not so different from cherry picking, which we did last July around the area. Go up to the lady, ask for a bucket (it’s cheaper if you bring your own bucket, and kids get their own little red ones) and then go picking. And eat. And pick some more. Cherries were pretty but I think blueberries are a little bit prettier.

일단 농장에 가면 농장주들에게 자기소개를 하고 나면 양동이를 주는데 그러면 양동이를 받아들고 바로 블루베리 밭으로 돌진하면 되는 시스템. 체리는 젊고 어린 나무들이 대체적으로 알도 크고 맛도 좋았는데 블루베리는 특별한 차이가 없었다. 큰 아이들만 골라서 따내면 끝.

If you have a toddler and you were wondering if he or she can enjoy the blueberry farm, I can assure you they will. The only problem would be that they won’t be much help in gathering the blueberries because they will either eat them all up and/or trip and fall down and throw all the blueberries on the ground. But they will have a swell of a time.

18개월인 L는 사실 따는것보다 먹는게 더 재밌었던 모양. 그래도 처음에는 열심히 따더니 나중에는 양동이에 들어있는 블루베리를 다 먹어버리고 다른 사람들의 블루베리도 훔쳐서 먹기 시작. 안타까웠던 점은 우리가 한 주먹 쥐어주면 신나서 걸어가다가 푹하고 넘어져서 멀쩡한 블루베리들을 다 쏟아버리는 상황이 발생한다는 것. 땅에 떨어진 블루베리들은 일단 뭉개지고 더러워져 그냥 버려야해서 L이 돌아다닐때마다 모두 집중하고 잡아주곤 했다. 그럼에도 불구하고 멀쩡히 일어나서 불쌍한 눈으로 남의 블루베리들을 훔쳐서 먹는 L.

Those cheeks. Those chubby cheeks! I became very competitive for some reason and filled up my bucket quite quickly. When it comes to cherries, the younger the tree, the better and juicier the cherries. But it seemed there wasn’t a specific rule for blueberries. Every tree had its own share of big, fat berries and smaller ones, so the more you reach deep into the trees, the bigger the berries. And because the berries are so soft, it’s very easy to get them all squished in the bucket, which was a bit annoying. Nevertheless, a wonderful experience.

쥐어주기만하면 먹기 시작. 끝이 없이 먹어서 나중에는 배탈날까봐 걱정.

적어도 $5는 내야되는데 양동이 하나를 가득 채우면 저 정도.

The farm also offers a great selection of pastries and cakes, and they also have a little picnic area where you can enjoy some after picking time.

• Buchan’s Blueberry Hill
• If you prefer cherry picking, this might help.

• Long pants and or long sleeves may be a good idea. The bushes are pretty low and they do scratch your legs and arms, so if you’re ok with the heat, it could be more comfortable to wear longer sleeved anything.
• Eat. Pick. Eat. Pick. Repeat.
• It can be a bit of a ride into the woods to the farm, but don’t panic because you’re not driving into nowhere.

Have you been blueberry picking? Where? Do you have blueberry trees where you live? I would love to know just in case I need another blueberry kick! 

All photos by rachelsanghee. August 2015.