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BY ROBIN SMITH | Community Columnist

WESTOVER – Every year for the last 45 years, Smith’s Farm of Westover has opened to the public for blueberry picking around the second week of June.

“I’m proud to be the fifth generation to carry on the legacy of farming this land,” owner Joe Smith said. “My grandparents, Claude and Varina Smith, took over the farm in the 1970s and planted hundreds of blueberry bushes. These bushes aren’t sprayed with pesticides, so you can rest assured to get the best-tasting berries.”

If you look at the bushes from a distance, they may appear to be like any green bush in a field. But, as you get a little closer and peer under the green leaves, you can spot the clusters of blueberries hanging on the branches, ripe and ready for the picking.

Customers can come during hours of operation and pick from the three front fields.

“If a customer arrives without a bucket, we have buckets they can use free of charge,” Smith said. “We usually have someone in the market to assist new customers. If not, the honor system is available in the market and easy to use. Our 100-year-old scale will weigh the berries, and the black box on the counter is there to take payment in the form of cash or check – made out to Smith’s Farm.”

It’s usually around the second week of June when the berries are ripe enough for people to come and pick.

For information on the exact opening day, hours and updates, call 205-678-6994 or go to Smith’s Farm Facebook page.