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Aren't we lucky around here to have yummy U-pick berries just outside of town?

I went to Dexter Blueberry Farm ( http://dexterblueberry.com/ ) a couple weeks ago and enjoyed picking from the tallest, most loaded bushes I'd seen in years. Blueberries freeze up great--assuming you don't eat them all first. Blues should still be on the bushes through mid-September, although hurry for peak season. Call first(734-426-2900) or check their website before heading out west on Island Lake Road and following the signs to 11024 Beach. Price for 2010: $1.60 a pound.

Raspberries can be picked at several locations, but I have a soft spot for Makielski Berry Farm a few miles south of Ann Arbor on Platt Road (it's an Ypsi address at 7130 Platt; phone is 734-994-8620; web is http://www.makielskiberryfarm.com). They have acre upon acre of red and amber raspberries, literally falling off the bushes. Be sure not to pick any overripe berries with gray mold on them--they have a yucky flavor and don't last. Raspberries freeze well too. I like to pinch the frozen ones over mid-winter fruit salad for a taste of summer. This year's crop should last through November 1, I'm hearing. Price for 2010: $3.50 a quart.

M.B. Lewis