Overnight Low Destroys Blueberry Crop

It’s a sad day for those of us who love to pick blueberries. Last night’s cold temperature froze all of the blueberry plants on the Gunflint Trail. I drove to check on the blueberry patches this morning and there’s not a good berry plant left.

I’d like to tell you this is an April Fool’s joke but it isn’t. It’s the words of a Blueberry Bitch. You see there’s a blueberry pickers culture on the Gunflint Trail and I imagine it exists elsewhere as well. Anywhere there are wild fruits, mushrooms or nuts to collect I am guessing a similar culture thrives. This culture includes people like me who tell lies to other potential blueberry pickers so we can keep more blueberries for ourselves.

There’s also a Blueberry Picker’s Book of Conduct that hasn’t been completed yet. I add to it as I think of different rules for blueberry picking. There are a ton of rules to follow as a blueberry picker and I’m sure the average person has no clue these rules even exist. I’ll share a couple of these rules today.

1. Never trample a ripe berry. You must pick the path you are planning to walk on so you do not destroy or waste any berries or kill a plant.

2. Lying about blueberry picking is like telling a fish tale- it’s ok as long as you under exaggerate the quatity of berries you found in a particular area.

3. When you are asked “Where’s a good place to pick blueberries?” If you’re on the Gunflint Trail you answer, “Magnetic Rock Trail.” It is a good place to pick and it’s easy to find. It also keeps folks from tramping all over other patches.

Are the blueberries ripe yet? Nope, they won’t be ripe for another month or two. That’s another one of the stock answers a Blueberry Bitch is allowed to lie about in our culture. Did the cold temperatures really kill the blueberry crop on the Gunflint Trail? I’ll tell you what I tell people who ask me for my best blueberry picking spots, “If I tell you then I’ll have to kill you.”