Blueberries, grapes or muscadines, NC vineyards offer opportunities to pick your own fruit
Botanist and Barrel in Cedar Grove has a large field of blueberry bushes, and in the summer, you can pick your own. Last weekend, the winery/cidery hosted their 6th annual Pick a Ton event, where they donate blueberries to hunger relief.
For every 25 lbs. of berries picked by guests, B&B donates a pound of fresh berries to feed food-insecure kids in Chapel Hill this summer.
Four of us stopped by early on Saturday with our berry buckets and picked about a gallon and a half of fresh berries. We learned that the berries were hit hard by a late frost, but we were still able to find what we wanted to pick. The trick was to wade farther into the berry patch and reach up to pull down top branches that were berry heavy.
In addition, there were cidermosas for sale at the taproom and a pig-pickin’ at noon for all who could stay. The cidermosas were refreshing and tasty, after a hot morning of berry picking.
There’s more to do at most wineries/cideries/meaderies in the state that just taste wine, and this is just an example. As we approach NC Grape Month in August, look for opportunities to pick your own fresh market grapes or muscadines at vineyards near you!
Botanist and Barrel
105 Persimmon Hill Lane
Cedar Grove, NC 27231
919.644.7777
Tarheel Taps & Corks 