Berry Bounty

Only a few miles from Montgomery, Barber Berry Farm in Millbrook is an 8-acre U-pick operation offering pesticide-free blackberries (thornless!), blueberries (multiple varieties) and muscadines (not ready ’til August). The farm grows hydroponic veggies too (tomatoes, eggplants, cucumbers and more), but the berries are the real stars here and now is their time to shine.

Rows and rows of blueberry bushes dripping in plump, frosted blue fruit dominate the landscape at the farm, and each row is a different variety. The blackberry bushes are thornless, meaning picking them is a treat not a scratchy, prickly chore. When searching for the choicest blackberries, keep your eyes out for the berries that are completely dark (no red) and with droops (the round portions on each berry) that look full and just a bit shiny. For the best blueberry picking, put your hand under a bunch of berries and simply fondle them a bit; the really ripe ones will practically fall off into your hand.

The berries are ripe and ready right now, and the last day to get them this year will be July 16. If you can get there before then, pick more blueberries than you think you can eat. First, you can do a million things with them (see the recipe below for one easy way to enjoy them). Second, they freeze beautifully, if you do it right. Make sure the berries are clean and dry and lay them in a single layer on a sheet pan. They can touch on the sides a bit but should not be jumbled up on top of each other. Place the pan in the freezer and freeze the berries solid (several hours). Then package the individually frozen berries in freezer-safe zip-top bags. Defrost as needed for muffins, cobblers, pancakes and more all fall and winter long.

Check the farm’s website or call before you go to make sure their hours haven’t changed and that their fields aren’t picked clean (it happens!).

Simple Berry Sauce

Pour this over anything: pancakes, French toast, biscuits, cornbread, you name it.

1 cup ripe berries (you can mix or do just one berry)

¼ cup sugar

2 tablespoons water

Put all ingredients in a saucepan over medium-high heat and when things start bubbling, turn it down to medium heat. Let it simmer until your sauce reaches your desired consistency. The longer you cook it, the more syrupy it will get.