Starbuck’s Blueberry Farm

9245 Gast Road, Bridgman, Michigan 49106

Over the years I have picked blackberries, cherries and strawberries in Michigan, peaches in Georgia, and apples and raspberries in Illinois. By far the nearest to my heart is picking blueberries in Michigan. It’s so easy and enjoyable. And there’s only one place that will do. It’s circled on my calendar every summer. My five-pound bucket list for this year is done and filled with plump sweet blueberries from Starbuck’s Blueberry Farm.

Scroll down to see more photos and read more about Starbuck’s Blueberry Farm.

“There are days when the blueberry crops overlap!”

Summer takes such a long time to arrive. And it goes by so quickly. Blueberry-picking time can be fleeting; but, this year at Starbuck’s Blueberry Farm, a later season is expected to extend through the second weekend of August.

My mom, Lisa and our friend Sue arrived at Starbuck’s Blueberry Farm on a bright and beautiful Saturday morning in July. Sue had introduced us to Starbuck’s Blueberry Farm years ago. The experiences have always been fun and produced countless pounds of the best blueberries we have ever tasted.

“The Jersey crop is our last crop. It’s looking really good!”

Sue knows the owners of Starbuck’s Blueberry Farm. Sue arranged for me to sit down with Jamie Starbuck for a nice Q & A session about Starbuck’s Blueberry Farm. Jamie Starbuck and her husband are the owners. I was excited to learn more about the farm, blueberries and a little bit behind the scenes.

After picking so many blueberries to fill our five-pound buckets—which didn’t take long—we returned to the welcome building to weigh our blueberries and shop for local honey. This was blueberry blossom honey with a subtle taste of blueberries. To see this photo and more, follow my Instagram page at the bottom of this post.

We don’t think about it, but before blueberry season begins so much work needs to be done. Jamie and her husband do their part, Mother Nature takes care of her share, and bees work hard to make it happen. I learned a lot about blueberries from my interview with Jamie Starbuck of Starbuck’s Blueberry Farm.

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When is blueberry picking season at Starbuck’s Blueberry Farm?

The first week of July through the second week of August, usually a four- to six-week season.

What is a good preseason for blueberries?

Rain in the spring and then nice, warm, sunny days to ripen the blueberries.

Are there different kinds of blueberries at Starbuck’s Blueberry Farm?

We have seven varieties. Our most popular U-pick berry is Blue Crop—it’s the largest and easiest to fill the buckets. The blueberries go in waves. Our earliest are Pemberton and Blue Ray. Then Blue Crop and Draper start coming in. And finally we end with the Jersey. There are days when the blueberry crops overlap!

I understand that bees are brought in to pollinate the blueberry plants. What happens to the bees after pollination?

Yes. After they’re done pollinating, the bees go to Florida to pollinate citrus groves. The bees are brought in in May. Then after pollinating, the beekeeper collects them and brings them to Florida.

What kind of work needs to be done in the offseason for maintenance?

In the winter we prune all the bushes and trim the branches that are too large so we can encourage new growth. If a branch is wider than a thumb, then we cut that branch. In the spring we take care of the weeds because the weeds compete with the nutrients.

What are your hours and when do you anticipate the end of this season will be?

Our hours are Wednesday to Saturday from 9 to 5 Eastern Time, and Sunday from 10 to 4. We anticipate going through the second week of August this year. The Jersey crop is our last crop. It’s looking really good!

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Thanks to Sue for arranging the interview! Thanks to Jamie Starbuck and her husband for the interview, and for welcoming us and everyone to Starbuck’s Blueberry Farm this season and every year!

To plan your visit to Starbuck’s Blueberry Farm, click Starbuck’s Blueberry Farm

To experience a dynamic presentation of Starbuck’s Blueberry Farm, click on the link to my Adobe Spark photoblog at Adobe Spark – Starbuck’s Blueberry Farm

To see more photos of Starbuck’s Blueberry Farm, follow my Instagram page at Instagram – The Simple Luxuries