Blueberry Etiquette at the Blueberry Barren

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The Brunswick region is blessed with sandplains that provide fantastic habitat for blueberries. The Land Trust is lucky to have one such sandplain at Crystal Spring Farm. If it were December, we’d tell you about the very rare natural community of plants that is growing on our sandplain. But since it’s July, we’ll focus on the blueberries!

Our blueberry barren is located south of Pleasant Hill Road. To access it, you can park at the Crystal Spring Farm trail parking area and take the East Trail. Where the East Trail intersects the Blueberry Loop, take a right toward the field and you’ll find blueberries!

Please note that we own only a small portion of the sandplain. Owners of the much larger adjacent property invest a lot of time and money managing their land for the commercial sale of organic blueberries, so please do not pick beyond our property boundary.

So, as you engage in this wonderful rite of summer, please respect a few important rules:

  • Stay on our property: The map at the end of this post shows the location of our property boundary (apologies for the blurry text!). These maps are posted at primary entrances to our property. The boundary line is marked with metal stakes and signs, and the lone trees in the middle of the field mark part of the boundary.

  • Park responsibly: While we prefer that people use the parking area described above and walk to the barren, it is also possible to park along Pleasant Hill Road near the gate approximately 0.75 mile from Maine Street. If you park on Pleasant Hill Road:
    • DO NOT BLOCK THE FARM ROAD OR GATE! The road must be accessible to farm and fire equipment at all times.
    • Park only on the south side of Pleasant Hill Road (the side the blueberries are on). With cars parked on both sides of the road, pedestrians crossing, runners and bikers, and farm equipment all converging – it makes for a very unsafe situation.

  • Have fun! And share your best blueberry recipes with us!

If you have questions, give us a call at 729-7694. Happy picking!