pick your own produce

now that summer is finally here, many memphis epicures have begun thinking about picking blackberries, blueberries, and peaches at places like jones’ orchard, up in millington, tennessee, or the north mississippi-based nesbit blueberry plantation, operated by george and pat traicoff.

however, the surprise cold spell that the region endured earlier this year has killed all hopes of local fruit and berry crops.

“the farm is actually not opening this year, because we don’t have any fruit,” pat traicoff told me. “over the years, we’ve had incidents that took a certain pecentage of the crop, but this is the first time in history that we’re closed.”

“we’re selling some berries from south alabama, and peaches from south georgia, but we’re not offering any picking this year either,” reports juanita jones of jones’ orchard. “we do have a few blackberry plants that survived, but we’re picking those ourselves. at the orchard, we’re growing vegetables this year – homegrown cucumbers, tomatoes, okra, squash, and peas that could be planted after the frost.”

most of the blueberries and blackberries offered at schnuck’s, kroger’s, and the local easy way produce stores hail from mexico and california, although strawberries from mississippi and louisiana are often available. buy as fresh as possible – and from as close to home as possible – and store your berries, unwashed, in the refrigerator until use.

got a real hankering to get out in the field? go here to see who's got what growing in west tennessee right now. or go here to learn about north mississippi crops.