Make it a Red, White and Blue Celebration at Weaver’s Orchard

This Independence Day, celebrate our nation with Weaver’s Orchard. Red raspberries, cherries and blueberries are perfect for picking right now, so make Weaver’s your red, white and blue celebration headquarters!

Pick-your-own fruit will be available during regular hours on Saturday, July 1, from 7 a.m.–5 p.m., Monday, July 3, from 7 a.m.–7 p.m. and Tuesday, July 4, from 7 a.m.–3 p.m. After spending some time picking fruit on July 4, head straight into the Farm Market for a very special ice cream treat available from 10 a.m.–3 p.m. Red, white and blue ice cream sundaes, made with real fresh fruit (red raspberries and blueberries) will be available for only $2!

Not sure how to pick the cream of the crop? Weaver’s has some helpful suggestions to make sure your fruit is picked at the perfect time.

Blueberry-Picking Tips

• Blueberries grow in clusters, and not all the berries ripen at the same time. One cluster may have ripe fruit, unripe fruit and green fruit, so take your time when picking
• Blueberries begin to turn color before they are fully ripe. A berry may look ripe, but if you turn it over and the stem end is still red or green, it is far from ripe. A fully ripe blueberry is deep blue, even near the stem.
• Unripe berries will not ripen further after harvest, so avoid the unripe ones to get those sweet berries that you are looking for.

Red Raspberry-Picking Tips

• Avoid light red berries and berries with white or yellow tips. Look for deep red berries that drop off the core easily.
• Be careful not to fill your containers too full or else you will have smashed berries on the bottom. Weaver’s will give you extra containers if you need them.

Cherry-Picking Tips

• For dark sweet cherries, darkness is the true key to getting a ripe cherry. The darker they are, the sweeter they will be.
• For yellow sweet cherries, you want to pay special attention to the rosy cheeks of the fruit. Rosy cheeks mean ripe fruit.
• Many of the really dark cherries can be found high up in the trees. Feel free to bring your own ladder. If not, please do not pull on the limbs as this will damage the trees. Young trees are not very thick and can snap easily.
• Keep stems on the fruit you pick—this makes them last longer.

If heading out into the fields isn’t on your holiday agenda, don’t worry—Weaver’s Farm Market will be filled with fabulous red, white and blue treats to make your Independence Day picnics, barbecues and parties incredible. From homegrown fruit to fresh-baked pies, you’ll wow your guests with these sweet additions to any table. Homegrown corn is also available for the first time this season at the Farm Market, so pick up a few ears today.

Red, white and blue fruit pies currently available in the Farm Market include:

• Blueberry
• Lattice top cherry
• Cherry crumb
• Cherry vanilla
• Red raspberry
• Strawberry
• Strawberry mango
• Strawberry rhubarb
• Very berry (four types of berries!)
• And many more

In July, Weaver’s Farm Market also makes a very special pie—the Red, White & Blueberry Pie. This limited edition pie includes Weaver’s Orchard’s freshly picked red raspberries, blueberries and a decadent cream layer. You can grab one at the Farm Market or make one yourself with the recipe straight from Anne Weaver’s recipe box.

Red, White & Blueberry Pie

Ingredients

Berry layer:

• 1½ cups sugar
• 4½ tablespoons cornstarch or all-purpose flour
• 1½ cups water
• 4½ tablespoons raspberry gelatin dessert granules
• 1 pint whole blueberries (unsweetened)
• 1 teaspoon cinnamon
• 1 pint red raspberries

Cream layer:

• 4 ounces cream cheese, room temperature
• ⅓ cup confectioners’ sugar
• 4 ounces whipped cream

Method

Berry layer:

1. Bake a nine-inch graham cracker (or regular) crust. Prepare the filling as below.
2. In a medium saucepan, combine sugar, cornstarch and water and stir until dissolved. Cook until the mixture becomes thick and clear. Add gelatin; stir until it dissolves.
3. Separate the mixture into two halves and stir blueberries and lemon juice into half of the mixture. Spread over pie crust. Refrigerate.
4. Fold raspberries into other half of mixture and set aside.

Cream layer:

1. Beat cream cheese and sugar until they become very smooth. Mix in topping and spread over blueberry layer.
2. Refrigerate until set.
3. Carefully spread raspberry layer on top.
4. Chill at least 4 hours before serving.

Find Weaver’s Orchard at 40 Fruit Ln., Morgantown; phone: (610) 856-7300.

• Photos: Weaver's Orchard