Wednesday, 8:15 AM, 52 degrees, wind W, light. The channel is wrinkled, the sky is mostly overcast and the barometer predicts rain. An enormous thunderhead just appeared on the northern horizon. We now nave twenty pounds of flash frozen blueberries in the freezer, which will pretty much last until next berry season. We bought them from Highland Valley Farm on Valley Road in the orchard country. There are a number of local farms that sell excellent blueberries, including Blue Vista, Good Earth Gardens and Rocky Acres, but they don’t sell frozen berries. It would take me weeks to pick twenty pounds of wild berries, which I think have a more distinct flavor, but Joan likes the farm berries better, so take your choice. Highland Valley Farm is owned by Rick and Janet Dale, and they have transformed 40 acres of old farm land into one of the largest and most modern blueberry operations anywhere, and Rick volunteers for USAID to help establish small farming enterprises in Eastern Europe. Being a small farmer is hard, hard work but Highland Valley Farm is a prime example of real success.
Highland Valley Farm is a participant in the very successful Bayfield area farmland preservation initiative sponsored by the State of Wisconsin and the Town of Bayfield, which has bought restrictive covenants on several farms in the area to keep them from wanton real estate development. The Bayfield Regional Conservancy was a prime organizing factor in this program, which means so much to the future of the Bayfield area. More on this topic in the future.
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