Blueberry pickers find their thrill
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Three-year-old Elizabeth Allen gives the blueberries she collected to her grandmother, Terri Johnson, at the Wurst family blueberry farm. Pickers take home a pound of blueberries for $1.
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The first time Martinez resident Susan Plantamura visited Randy and Vicki Wurst's Grovetown home to pick blueberries, they were so good she just had to go back for more, she said.
"The blueberries were delicious, and that's why I went to get more. I plan to make some more trips," she said. "Between my kids and my husband, we eat all of them before I can make anything out of them."
Every Tuesday and Saturday, many residents such as Plantamura visit the Wurst's home at 5153 Columbia Road to pick blueberries.
It's the price that, many say, keeps them coming back.
"You just can't beat the price," Plantamura said about purchasing a pound of blueberries for $1.
Because of the health benefits blueberries offer, Mrs. Wurst said, they are in high demand.
The blueberries are ripening at the Wurst family blueberry farm on Columbia Road near Hereford Farm Road in Evans.
Photo by Jim Blaylock
"Blueberries boost your memory and help prevent cancer," she said.
The Wursts took over the business five years ago when they moved to their Grovetown home. The business, which the previous owners established, has boomed, they said.
Mr. Wurst, who owns a construction company, said he and his wife, a math teacher at Harlem High School, earn about $1,000 during the summer from the 3-acre site.
"It's not a get-rich thing," Mrs. Wurst said. "It just serves as extra income."
Mr. Wurst said many regular customers come back each year for the start of the season, which typically begins in May and ends in July.
Nicole Farley picks blueberries at the home of Vickie Wurst on Columbia Road. The Wurst family opens its 12-acre property for blueberry picking every Tuesday from 5-7 p.m. and Saturday from 7 a.m. to 1 p.m.
Photo by Jim Blaylock
"There's people that have been coming here for a long time," he said. "It's just kind of like visiting with old friends every year."
Because of cooler temperatures in March and April, Mr. Wurst said, the season will last until August.
Customers who visit the Grovetown home can eat blueberries in the field for free, Mr. Wurst said, stressing that no chemicals are used on the blueberries. The Wursts said the best thing about operating the business each summer is the customers.
"We enjoy the social aspect and getting to talk to people, and visiting with them," he said. "Just to see people out there having fun and enjoying themselves is a lot of the reward in it."
Elizabeth, 3, and Tony, 5, Allen pick blueberries at the home of Vickie Wurst in Columbia County. The blueberry farm is open to pickers on Tuesday and Saturday.
Photo by Jim Blaylock
Hours of operation
WHAT: U Pick Blueberries
WHEN: 5 to 7 p.m. Tuesdays and 7 a.m. to 1 p.m. Saturdays
WHERE: 5153 Columbia Road, Grovetown
Call: 651-1671