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Business & Tech

Making Memories at The Blueberry Place

Acres of blueberry patches are nestled off Hope Street.

If you savor the tart sweetness of a freshly picked blueberry, get thee to The Blueberry Place. Picking season is fleeting, and you don’t want to miss it. This year it kicked off on July 12 and typically it lasts through mid-August, though occasionally into early September.

The Blueberry Place is not a slick agricultural operation with uniform rows of bushes set out in large open field with space wide enough to drive a tractor through. It’s much more bucolic like, say, your grandmother’s backyard. Here, 800 bushes spread out over an acre of land and are surrounded by tall trees. Owner Carol Bragg has heard more than once that it’s a place of peace.

“Some people say it’s so relaxing and therapeutic that I should charge for therapy,” she says.

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When picking blueberries, Bragg says, you don’t want the pesky stems, so take the berry between your thumb and forefinger and roll it across your thumb, which will pop it off the stem. She also says leaving the berries spread out on a tray or paper towels for a couple days after picking will maximize their flavor. This is especially ideal for use in Bragg’s favorite blueberry recipe, the old Jordan Marsh Blueberry muffin.

The Blueberry Place bushes were planted in the 1960’s by the previous owners. Bragg has maintained them since taking over the property, and it’s been no small feat. Pruning and mowing is all done by hand, as are battles with invasive species such as oriental bittersweet and the Winter moth, which wiped out the crop in 2007 and 2010. In fact, Bragg has gotten so good at battling the moth, that she regularly receives phone calls from around the region seeking advice on the matter.

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Bragg says the work is a labor of love. Most years she breaks even or takes a small loss, but she says she does it for the joy it brings people.

“The older customers often start reminiscing when they were young and growing up picking with aunts and uncles, or grandma and grandpa. That’s really nice,” she says. “And, I know when young families bring their children they’re making memories. So it’s memories recalled and memories made.”

The Blueberry Place is open at 44 Hope Street Tuesday through Thursday 8 a.m. to noon and 4 p.m to 6 p.m.; Saturdays and Sundays from 9 a.m. to 6 p.m. Customers should bring their own containers, and are advised to wear socks, shoes, long pants, hats, sunblock and insect repellant. Every pound of blueberries picked costs $2.50, while pre-picked pints go for $4.50. For more information call (508) 336-3594.

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