Picking the perfect berries

Angela Fitzgerald: I’m in Helenville at Jelli’s Market, learning about one of Wisconsin’s favorite summertime activities: berry picking.

[lively music]

Angela Fitzgerald: I sat down with Libby, whose parents bought this farm in the ’80s but didn’t start strawberry farming ’til 2001.

Libby Hafften: They’ve got a little bit of farming background, but kind of jumped into strawberries headfirst. Didn’t really know anything they were doing, but it’s kind of exploded since then, obviously. And now we have blueberries and raspberries, apples, pumpkins. One thing for sure that makes us unique is we don’t have an admission fee. That is one thing that my parents really were against when they decided that they wanted to be more of a u-pick farm and let people come and get their own produce. It’s just nice that we allow people to come and just hang out if they want to and be in agriculture and be away from the city and learn something new while they’re here.

Customer: Thank you.

Angela Fitzgerald: That’s truly creating a space for the community.

Libby Hafften: Yeah. People can come in the farm store and buy meat like pork and beef and lamb, chicken, turkeys. And then any of our other products.

Angela Fitzgerald: There’s an array of different food items that people can enjoy fresh throughout the year.

Libby Hafften: Absolutely.

Angela Fitzgerald: Well, welcome. Thanks for coming.

Angela Fitzgerald: So you and your sister still run the farm?

Libby Hafften: Yes. My sister Lindsay and I co-manage Jelli’s together now. She does a lot of the berries and the vegetables. I’m mainly in charge of our orchard. So I get to work with not only my sister, but my best friend. And, you know, we get sick of each other and bicker like sisters do, but at the end of the day, we both want our business to succeed and we want to make our family better, so we have the same goal in mind.

Angela Fitzgerald: I love that. And you’re able to continue your family’s legacy together.

Libby Hafften: Yes, exactly.

Angela Fitzgerald: So, Libby, I do want to go out and pick some blueberries with you.

Libby Hafften: Okay.

Angela Fitzgerald: Before we do that, is there anything I should keep in mind? Anything unique about blueberry picking for a first-time blueberry picker?

Libby Hafften: [laughs] Well, what color are blueberries?

Angela Fitzgerald: They’re blue.

Libby Hafften: They are blue, that’s good. So we should probably make sure we don’t pick any green ones, right?

Angela Fitzgerald: Okay, I’m assuming that means they’re not ready, or?

Libby Hafften: That would be correct.

Angela Fitzgerald: Okay, okay. That’s good to know.

Libby Hafften: That’s the biggest tip.

Angela Fitzgerald: Make sure they’re blue at the time of picking.

Libby Hafften: Yes. And other than that, it’s pretty easy.

Angela Fitzgerald: Okay, awesome. Well, can you go show me?

Libby Hafften: Absolutely!

Angela Fitzgerald: Thank you.

Angela Fitzgerald: With my first blueberry picking lesson under my belt, we headed out to the field. With a little help. So which ones feel ripe for picking over here?

Libby Hafften: Well, we want the blue ones.

Angela Fitzgerald: And a taste or two.

Libby Hafften: You wanna try one?

Angela Fitzgerald: Mm-hmm. These are good.

Libby Hafften: Mm-hmm. And we allow people to, y’know, eat while they pick. That’s part of the fun.

Angela Fitzgerald: Aww.

Libby Hafften: Part of the experience.

Angela Fitzgerald: I’m sure that’s appreciated.

Angela Fitzgerald: Whether in the field or in the shop, Jelli’s Market offers a tasty way to enjoy a Wisconsin summer.

[gentle music]