Why Organic?
Organic is one of the most heavily regulated and closely monitored systems in the U.S.
The organic label is backed by a set of rigorous federal production and processing standards.
Developed through a process involving a citizen advisory group, industry representatives and the public, these standards provide traceability from the farm to the consumer, ensuring that you and your family can have confidence in the organic products you buy.
Organic is considered to be the gold standard of eco-labels.
IF YOU QUESTION whether a farm is Certified Organic, ask to see their certificate. Ours is posted in the berry stand.
Why Trust Organic?
The organic system is designed to verify that federally regulated organic production and processing methods are followed.
U.S. organic standards require:
- Both announced and unannounced certification inspections by third-party inspectors to ensure that products bearing the organic label are grown and processed in a manner that you and your family can trust.
- An Organic Systems Plan that enables inspectors and consumers to trace organic products from the farm to the family.
- All products bearing the organic label must comply with federal, state, and FDA food product requirements.
When are you open?
This is determined by the berries! When they are sweet and ripe (any time from mid- to late July, but sometimes not until early August), the farm opens for harvest. We are usually open three to five days each week for six to eight weeks. After especially heavy harvesting, we allow time for the sun to ripen more berries so that you will have plentiful picking. Call us at 360-582-1128 or check the website or Facebook for updates. On the home page, you can click on a link that will email announcements regarding our open days.
What is the price for the world's best blueberries?
U-pick berries will be offered for $3.10 per pound this year. We accept cash (!) and checks, but cannot process debit or credit cards.
Remember: Sampling's OK; grazing is not! Enjoy! :-)
What should we bring?
We provide picking containers, and prefer that only our containers enter the berry field. This is to protect our plants from any unintentional contamination. Our containers are lined with food-grade bags in which you can transport your berries home.
Please leave your dogs at home; they are not allowed in the field, and no shade is available for them while they wait in the car.
Well-supervised children are always welcome at Dungeness Meadow Farm.
Freezing Suggestions
Make sure your blueberries are absolutely dry before freezing, as they will clump together if they are damp. We strongly recommend that you do NOT wash our berries prior to freezing, as there is nothing on them that you can't eat. If they are dusty, roll them in a large towel for several seconds; this should remove leaves and dust. Place the dry berries directly into a large (gallon-size) zippered freezer bag (there is no need to use the cookie-sheet method, as blueberries are firm). Leave about 2-3 inches of headroom, and seal the air INTO the bag (this is key). This way the air circulates as the berries freeze, and they freeze separately, so that you can remove one berry or as many as you want at a time. Once your blueberries are frozen, you can squeeze the air out of the bags to allow more freezer space.
If your berries are in a self-defrosting freezer, they will experience the freeze/thaw/freeze cycle which will result in their clumping together. A deep freeze is best for keeping your blueberries individually frozen.