If you’re a fan of blueberries you better hurry over to Klassen’s blueberry farm! Blueberry season is just about to wrap up!
On Sunday, I headed over to pick a few berries with Anita and her nieces Sabrina and Isabella. The “u-pick” season runs from July to August or mid-September, depending on the berries, of course. It was a great way to spend a beautiful Sunday afternoon and the girls had a great time.
If you’re not in mood to pick them yourself, they usually have ready-picked berries at the store located in the front of the farm. Or pick up a fresh made blueberry pie, sip on a blueberry milkshake or indulge in an ice cream topped with their popular blueberry sauce.
Klassen’s can average between 300-400 people a day. Although the season is short, the rest of the year is spent preparing for those months. Klassen’s doesn’t sell their blueberries wholesale but you can find them in fruit stands around the county. I recommend the drive out to the farm.
Sure you can pick up berries at the large grocery store, but this is a great way to support local farmers and eat locally grown produce. And on the way you can stop off at the multitude of fruit and vegetable stands and stock up on other great things to eat!
To store the berries, Klassen’s recommends washing them only before you’re about to eat them. They will keep up to 2 weeks if they are dry and refrigerated.
If you’re going to freeze them, place them in a container, unwashed, with about a 1/2″ of space and into the freezer they go.
Klassen’s is located between Kingsville and Colchester on County Road 50. They are open from 9am to dusk, 7 days a week during the season. Or give the Blueberry Hotline a ring at 519-738-4089 to get the low down on how the berries are doing.
Blueberry Pie (courtesy of Klassen’s)
1998 1st prize winner at the Harrow Fair
pastry crust
4 cups blueberries
4 teaspoons lemon juice
3/4 cup sugar
1/4 cup flour
1/2 teaspoon cinnamon
1/4 teaspoon nutmeg
1/8 teaspoon salt
1 teaspoon lemon peel
2 tablespoons butter
Prepare crust according to package directions and line pie plate. Rinse and drain blueberries. Toss gently with lemon juice, then mixture of sugar, flour, cinnamon, nutmeg, salt and lemon peel. Place fruit in pie shell and dot with butter. Cover with top crust. Bake at 450F for 10 minutes, then 350F for 30 to 35 minutes.
