The Blueberries
The Willamette Valley’s oldest (and bluest) blueberries!
At least, we think so. Terra Fluvia’s blueberries were planted sometime in the mid- to late-1930s (as far as we can tell from old aerial photos), making them the Willamette Valley’s oldest. We have several different varieties of Northern highbush blueberry, though the exact cultivars have unfortunately been lost to time. We’ve wanted to identify which varieties we have for several years, but the general characteristics of the cultivars’ berries isn’t really enough to be definitive. It’s a work in progress.
Our berries are naturally fertilized in the flood plains of the Willamette and Calapooia Rivers, and pollinated by our guest beehive (cared for by a local beekeeper). We water directly from the river with a drip irrigation system and do not use any pesticides or herbicides. We pull blackberries and other weeds out by hand (and this is usually a losing battle by the end of the season, so please watch your step for thorns and other prickly things).
Our berries are delicious right from the bush, smoothed into smoothies, baked into pies, canned, etc. Every couple rows are a different variety, so please wander and taste to find your favorite spot. Happy picking!
And an important note about the history of this land: Terra Fluvia is located in the traditional homeland of the Tsankupi band of the Kalapuya people. Kalapuya people were forcibly removed from their land following the Kalapuya Treaty (also sometimes called the Treaty of Dayton) in 1855, and today many are members of the Confederated Tribes of the Grand Ronde Community of Oregon and Confederated Tribes of the Siletz. We gratefully acknowledge the Indigenous Peoples who are the ancestral stewards of this land upon which we now live, work, farm, and play.
Storing your blueberries
One of the best benefits of our season-long bottomless blueberry membership is that you can pick berries throughout the course of the whole season. The blueberries’ sugar content changes with the season, so by making multiple trips, you can enjoy the full spectrum of tartness, sweetness, and juiciness that our berries have to offer as the weeks progress.
To store your blueberries to enjoy all winter long, we recommend freezing them in a single layer on a cookie sheet. Once they’re frozen, put them into a sealed bag/jar/container, label with the date they were picked, and they should be good until next season. Freezing them this way prevents the blueberries at the bottom from getting squished, and then freezing into a big juicy block. Added bonus: this is an activity that even toddlers can help with!
When is the blueberry season?
It varies a bit each year, but in general, our season goes from early July through mid-to-late August. Sometimes, we’ll get a short/long season here or there, but we always try to keep people notified about how the blueberries are doing. Our berries tend to ripen on the later side, so if you start to see other farms opening up in June, not to worry, ours are coming!
| Year | Opening Date | Closing Date |
| 2023 | July 4 | August 27 |
| 2022 | July 15 | August 19 |
| 2021 | July 2 | August 23 |
| 2020 | July 3 | August 23 |
| 2019 | July 4 | August 25 |
| 2018 | July 4 | August 19 |
| 2017 | July 4 | September 4 |
| 2016 | June 25 | July 31 |
| 2015 | June 27 | August 17 |
| 2014 | July 4 | End of August? (This was our first year, and also the same month that our twins were born. Record-keeping was sub-par at best.) |
What’s with the tall grass in the blueberry rows?
In the early part of the growing season, we mow the field and the rows regularly. But as the berries begin to ripen, it becomes harder to drive the mower through the rows without knocking all the blueberries to the ground. This also keeps mower exhaust off the berries. So once we open for the season, we only mow the field as needed, and let the foot traffic do its work in the rows. We try to keep the blackberries at bay throughout the season, but this is usually a losing battle by the time August rolls around.