Sunday, July 25, 2010

Picking wild blueberries to make $1,000

How to make money from picking blueberries

Most commercial blueberries are grown on bushes of cultivated blueberries that are larger then wild blueberries, and unfortunately are not as tasty as the wild the wild ones are. The wild blueberries come from two different but related plants that either grow as high bushes or as creepers growing close to the ground.

Regardless of where they grow you can make a thousand dollars or more during the season that runs from mid-July to early September, but is best in late July. The berries you pick are packed in pint or quart baskets for sale. One of the best places to sell blueberries is at a farmers market, or just from along side the road as they do in many places where these berries grow. Another potential market for your berries is through local markets.

Blueberries are the foundation of more then one fortune. Right in the author’s family a cousin became a millionaire by raising and selling cultivated blueberries in the heights of the Berkshires in Blandford, Massachusetts. He sold all his blueberries to a large bakery that specialized in baking pies.

The town of Cherryfield, Maine styles itself as the “blueberry capitol of the world” because of the number of successful growers of wild low-bush blueberry plants. These are wild blueberries that for the most part are sold to local canneries. A lot of these berries are sold fresh to supermarket chains. The growers have perfected ways to pick these berries mechanically.

To get started in this business all you need is something to put the berries in as you pick them. This is usually a small pail that is tied to the waist with a strip of cloth. The bucket hangs from the cloth band at the front. You will also need a supply of pint and quart baskets, although most blueberries are sold by the pint.

Where picking blueberries can lead! Everyone has to start small to learn the ropes of a business, picking and selling blueberries is a good place to start that can lead to a lifetime career of harvesting wild plant products.

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