The hope of a good season

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They come in many shapes and sizes but they all share the same ripeing profile, after they turn blue(early to mid may thru mid june in missouri) it may take 15 + days for all the sugars to fully develop, we have found that if you run your fingers under the berry and they fall off into your hand they tend to be of the best quality. These berries are tucked under the leaves on the end of last years growth, making it harder for the birds and you to see them(better hail protection also).

• Unripe berries will not ripen further after harvest, so avoid the unripe ones to get those sweet Dark soft berries that you are looking for! 

• Blueberries grow in clusters and not all the berries ripen at the same time. One cluster may have ripe fruit, unripe fruit and green fruit. So take your time when picking!

• Blueberries begin to turn colors before they are fully ripe. A berry may start to look ripe, but if you turn it over and the stem end is still redish or green, it is far from ripe and still has a few days to go. A fully ripe blueberry is deep blue, even near the stem..

A blackberry is ripe when it is deep black with a plump, full feel. It will pull free from the plant with only a slight tug.  If the berry is red or purple it's not ripe yet. 

Blackberries may be kept fresh in the refrigerator for up to a week, sometimes longer depending upon the initial quality of the berry. Use as fast as you can because After a few days in storage the fruit loses its bright color and fresh flavor and tends to shrivel and may mold.