California – Blueberry Picking in Santa Barbara
Blueberry picking is one of my favorite early-summer traditions in Santa Barbara, California. I’ve gone every year, except for 2018, and have an absolute blast walking around the fields with my little tin bucket. My favorite place to go is Santa Barbara Blueberries because the location is darling. Imagine golden foothills with scattered oak trees surrounding the little rows of blueberries. You pick as many blueberries as you want to buy, making it an excellent activity for families, a date idea, or a girlfriends get-together. Keep reading for what the experience is like, photographing tips, and other things to do in the area.
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Blueberry Picking in Santa Barbara
Santa Barbara Blueberries is right off the 101 freeway. We pulled in at about 2:30 pm on a warm, sunny Saturday in June. We went into the small hut to get our tin bucket and instructions of where we should go. They divide the field into sections based on how ripe and plentiful the blueberry bushes are during the season. Upon entering the field, we can see the bushes are laden with blueberries! The ones toward the back, where fewer people ventured had so many berries that the branches were bowing just a bit. Tip #1: head toward the back of the section before beginning your picking.
The ripe blueberries are a dark blue, almost black color and practically fall off the bushes into your hands. Remember, you pay for how much you pick! It is so easy to keep on plopping them into the bucket. The plopping sound is so satisfying! The 2018-2019 winter brought a lot of rain, so this season is particularly good. Also, they only opened a week or two before we went, which aided us in finding the heavily fruit-blessed plants. Tip #2: sign up for the Santa Barbara Blueberries email list – they don’t send too many emails and will keep you updated as to what is going on through the season. Their website is regularly updated as well.
We kept moving around the section to pick blueberries, take photos, observe the bushes, and soak in the experience. It is not meant to be a race nor a photoshoot. Take a moment to realize how incredible these little bushes are to produce this delicious and healthy fruit. Once you’re satisfied, take your tin back to the hut to pay for your haul. Tip #3: bring a reusable bag to take your blueberries home with you.
At a Glance:
- Rating: 4 (out of 4) stars, we try to go every year!
- Intensity: Cute clothes, sandals
- Location: about 45 minutes from Santa Barbara, it is actually closer to Buellton
- Cost: You pay for what you pick
- Restrooms: Not sure they have any…
- Timing: We picked for 40 minutes this year
Highlights:
- Great setting with rolling golden hills and oak trees surrounding the blueberries
- You get to pick as much as you want
- Carrying a bucket around with blueberries
- Eating blueberries (you should wait till after you pay, but I won’t tell 😉
Photographing Blueberry Picking
I am usually overjoyed to go blueberry picking that I forget to photograph what I am doing. However, since we have gone like four times now, I’ve had some practice. I shot all the photos in this post on an iPhone in the middle of the afternoon (aka harsh lighting) and edited in Lightroom. I bet you can get even better shots on a fancy camera and in the late afternoon, but for a casual blueberry afternoon, I think these photos turned out great. Here are my tips for iPhone photography while picking blueberries:
- Head to the back of the field where fewer people venture so that you do not interrupt others with your photographing. This will also provide a great background of the foothills.
- Try taking photos across the bush, so you can see more of the blueberries as the person picks them from the top.
- Try squatting next to the blueberry bush so you get a cute background and can also easily see how many blueberries are in your bucket.
- Have the tallest person in your group hold the camera high to get a different perspective.
- Use the slow-mo setting on your phone to get a video of you spinning in the rows or blueberries plopping in the bucket. Getting some random short videos of you talking or using slow-mo are so much fun to look back at to in the future. If you understand Instagram well, you can also use the boomerang feature and save them to your phone to post later. Try staying present in the moment.
- Take photos in different directions depending on the sun/time of day. Some angles will shadow your face, so try in a few different directions to see which is better.
- Take a few close-up photos of the blueberries because why not.
- Take a lot of photos and review them on your way home. We live in the digital age – take advantage! On the way home, delete the duplicates and unnecessary ones. This is my strategy for a great photo, without taking up all my memory.
Paying for your Blueberries
Before you leave, be sure to pay for your blueberries back at the hut where you started. They will tell you a price based on how full your bucket is and will help put your valuable blueberry haul in the reusable bag you brought. I didn’t have a special plan for the blueberries, so we filled it to about a quarter of a bucket for $5. This is ridiculously reasonable for the fun I had picking and photographing the blueberries. They also have other items in the shed to purchase, which I considered buying simply to support the business. Instead, we headed out and I decided to write this post as my method of supporting a lovely local company.
Other things to do nearby
There is so much to do in the idyllic Santa Ynez Valley. Although we didn’t pair our visit with anything else this time, here are some other things to do nearby:
- Wine Tasting: the Santa Ynez Valley is known for its wine. Some places have lovely outdoor patios and surrounded by vineyards. Two of my faves are Rusack Winery and Sunstone Vineyard & Winery.
- Solvang: cute Danish-inspired town with bakeries and other cute things.
- Ostrichland: I personally have not been, but this place looks fun and silly.
- Los Olivos: a cute tiny town with tasting rooms, a few restaurants, darling shops, and cupcakes.
Getting to Santa Barbara Blueberries
The Santa Barbara Blueberries farm is right off the 101 freeway and easiest to access from the Highway going north. You can use Googlemaps to route you there. Keep in mind that it is about 45 minutes away from downtown Santa Barbara, despite the name. We drove ourselves and unfortunately, I am not aware of any public transportation going to that part of the Santa Ynez Valley. Here is the address:
980 US-101 #2,
Gaviota, CA 93117
Overall Thoughts: Blueberry Picking at Santa Barbara Blueberries
If you cannot tell by my glowing account of our experience, I loved blueberry picking! There is something that is so simple, yet profound about seeing how the fruit grows and picking them myself. Then after purchasing (of course), tasting the fresh fruit warmed by the sun. I don’t think blueberries taste as good as the ones right from the bush. I’ve gone a number of times now that blueberry picking is synonymous with summer and warmer days. In the future, I’d love to source out a u-pick peach, nectarine, or apple farm.
Have you gone to any u-pick style farms for fresh fruits? If so, where at? I absolutely love picking my own fruits and eating way too much of them because they are so gosh darn fresh, so please tell me about where you have gone in the comments!
Happy Travels,
Hanna
