Blueberry season

It's purple tongue time! The Willamette Valley is a great location for growing all kinds of berries and fruit, and there are several farms near Corvallis that grow blueberries. Blueberry Meadows, on Hwy 20 a few miles northeast of Corvallis, is open for U-pick seven days a week, from 8 a.m. to 7 p.m. They sometimes run out of berries before 7, so if you're coming late in the day, call ahead. (541) 753-2614

If you are at Blueberry Meadows, you might also want to check out Davis Family Farm, also on Hwy 20 and just a bit farther toward Albany. They don't grow their own blueberries but they carry blueberries and other varieties of berries, plus apricots, peaches, tomatoes, squash, cucumbers, and other produce, much of which is from their own farm. (541) 752-0697‎

Radke's Blueberries, located south of Corvallis off Hwy 99 on Three Mile Ave, will be open for U-pick starting Monday, July 21, and expect to have picked berries available by the following weekend. (541) 753-5680

The Oregon Blueberries website has a list of these and other blueberry farms in the area, with addresses and contact information. Another great online resource is the Pick Your Own page for the "Salem area," which includes the mid-Willamette Valley from Yamhill County down to Linn County, along with the central Oregon coast. In addition to U-pick farm & orchard listings, they have lots of recipes and instructions for freezing, canning and drying fruit.