By Sarah Richardson
Summer is here, and along with the sweltering heat comes the annual blueberry harvest – ripe for the picking. Local blueberry farms, White Oak Farm and Friendly Goat Fruit Farm, are in the middle of the busy season and are currently welcoming pickers of all ages to visit and pick some berries. Blueberry season starts in mid-June and usually lasts around 6 weeks, so if you haven’t gone picking yet this year, plan to go soon!
White Oak Farm, located at 1700 Brownstown Road in Renick, opened for the season on Jun. 13, and Friendly Goat Fruit Farm, located further down the road at 2801 Julia Road, opened on June 15.
With two farms to choose from, it is easy to make a family day out of berry picking. White Oak Farm is owned and operated by Max and Anne Robinson, and they planted the first blueberries on their farm in the fall of 1993. The pick-your-own blueberries have been a popular staple in the Renick area for years, but in addition to growing blueberries they raise and grow a lot of their own food with some extras to sell. They have a milk cow, beef cows, sheep, and chickens. Eggs are available for purchase at the check-in stand. They are open Monday, Tuesday, Thursday, and Friday from 8 a.m. to 12 noon and 4 to 8 p.m., Saturday from 8 a.m. to 5 p.m., and are closed Wednesday and Sunday.
Contact White Oak Farm at whiteoakberryfarm@gmail.com, call 304-497-3577, or visit White Oak Berry Farm on Facebook for more information and to check the status of the berries.
Friendly Goat Fruit Farm is owned by Herb and Rene Ley and is aptly named for their friendly goats that they raise on the property. They offer pick-your-own blueberries and then blackberries later on in the season. Herb says that they planted their first blueberries seven years ago, and that they have several varieties to pick from, including large Chandler blueberries. They are open Monday through Friday, 8 a.m. to 12 noon and 4 to 8 p.m. Saturdays, open 8 a.m. to 8 p.m. Closed Sundays.
Follow the farm on Facebook at Friendly Goat Fruit Farm, or call 304-497-2005 for more information.
