Meet the farming family behind one of Oregon’s most beloved summer fruits: the local blueberry.
It's that time of year when the juiciest, sweetest, most blueberry-est organic blueberries start arriving from our friends and longtime partners (15 years!) at Springbank Farm.
Just a few miles outside Lebanon,OR, Brian and Michelle O'Driscoll grow Certified Organic blueberries on their 12-acre family farm. The small berry patch is part of a larger 320-acre historic farm owned by Paul and Phyllis O'Driscoll since the early 1970s—and replete with a timbered hillside, pasture, woodland, and prime river-bottom farmland along the South Santiam River.
Before the O'Driscolls set up a farm, the Reed family had owned the farm since the 1890s and helped found a one-room schoolhouse, which, in 2010, Brian and Michelle began restoring and plan to incorporate into their farm camp for children in association with a non-profit organization called Farm Works, Inc.
If you haven't tried Springbank Farm organic blueberries, now is your chance. They only have to travel about 80 miles to Portland, so they have that sweet, farm-fresh quality you only get with local berries. Enjoy them in summer smoothies, baked into a seasonal tart, or our favorite, right out of hand.
Brian and Michelle had used organic methods to grow their blueberries for years but were never certified. That all changed several years ago when we helped them through three years in transitional status to become Certified Organic through Oregon Tilth.
And because sustainability is always top of mind for us and the O’Driscoll family, we offer their incredible berries for bulk purchase in July, so you can get as many berries as you want without the extra plastic packaging.
They're only around for a limited time, so we recommend loading up. They freeze exceptionally well!
Local Produce Tracker
Want a better idea of when to expect your favorite summer berries and stone fruit? Check out our Local Produce Tracker!
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