HUDSON â Drive east on Hudson Avenue 4 or 5 miles west of U.S. 19 until you get into open country and the roadside signs start to appear: âU-Pick Blueberries.â
Most years the picking starts in March, but cooler weather this year delayed ripening timetables. But halfway into April, lovers of the plump blue fruits were in the fields pickinâ away.
âWe need 65-degree nights and 85-degree days before we have ripe fruit,â said Bob Waldo, owner of Bobâs Blueberry Farm and U-Pick in Hudson. âSome years itâs early; some years itâs late.â
Thatâs farming, said Waldo, who began growing berries on the farm off Hudson Avenue in 1996. Several farms sprung up along the road, and if anyone has ever wondered why the strip is rife with berry farms, Waldo can tell you: âIt was me,â he said. âThereâs only a couple of farms out here I didnât have a hand in helping start.â