Many Purple Raspberries Ripe Now

   Many purple raspberries are ripe now.  Purple raspberries are hybrids between red and black raspberries and exhibit hybrid vigor, so produce large crops of large berries that are bigger than the berries of red or black raspberries.  Purple raspberries have their own unique taste; we let customers taste a sample of all the raspberries that they'll pick.

Purple raspberries are in their heaviest ripening time now, so there are many to pick.

   More purple raspberries will ripen for the next 3 weeks or so, but for fast picking, come this week if you can to pick purple raspberries.  We also still have some red and black raspberries to pick, but these are much less numerous than they were 2 weeks ago, so take longer to pick now.
   Thornless blackberries have been heavily picked over the last 5 days, since it stopped raining.  Over 900 quarts of blackberries were picked from June 17 to 22, from just 3 1/2 rows of our earliest thornless blackberry variety, 'Natchez'.  Our 4 different varieties of thornless blackberries will continue to ripen over the next 6 weeks, until early Aug., and we'll have plenty of blackberries to pick from July 4 to 31.  If you want to pick blackberries but not raspberries, you might wait a week or two to come pick blackberries.

'Natchez' blackberries have been heavily picked over the last 5 days, so few are ripe now.  Our 4 different varieties of thornless blackberries will continue to ripen over the next 6 weeks, and we'll have plenty of blackberries to pick from July 4 to 31.

   All berries are sold pick-your-own only.  We provide containers, and just ask that you return the containers to us for reuse on your next trip to Brenda's Berries.  Pick-your-own raspberries cost $1.86 per pint + tax.  Thornless blackberries cost $2.55 per quart + tax, pick-your-own.
   Come during our open hours for summer: Mon. to Sat. 7:30 a.m. to 12 noon & 7 to 9 p.m., & Sundays 7 to 9 p.m. only.  We're closed Sunday mornings for church (as we are year-round), and from June 1 to Aug. 31 we're closed from 12 noon to 7 p.m. due to high heat.  (Please arrive at a time that allows you enough time to finish picking by our closing time.  Thanks.)
   Peaches will start ripening until about July 1.  We grow 17 different peach varieties that provide a succession of ripening over 2 1/2 months.  Peach harvest goes until about Sept. 10, and our heaviest time for peaches is from about July 20 to Aug. 31.  We're looking for a peach harvest of 35,000 to 36,000 pounds this summer.
   Once peaches start, small amounts of peaches cost $1.20 per pound + tax.  We pick directly into 20-lb. boxes, which I then weigh to 20.0 lbs., so you save $1.00 if you buy a 20-lb. box of peaches for $23.15 + tax.  We also usually have some 2nds peaches, mostly with small bird pecks or other surface damage, which sell for $0.65 per pound + tax.
   You do not need an appointment from June 1 to Aug. 31; just come during our open hours.  However, many people typically come on July 1, 2, and 3 (the start of peach season and preparing for July 4), so if you want peaches one of those days, phone 620-597-2450 or e-mail a couple days ahead to order them.
   For payment, we accept cash or checks; NO debit cards or credit cards.  Please bring your checkbook or enough cash to cover what you'll buy.