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(L–R) Vera, Emma, Ezra, and Soren Ranz; Audrey and Andrew Matheson; and Saoirse the sheepadoodle in front of the Bow Hill farm store in Bow, Wash. Courtesy of Bow Hill Blueberries
Standing in an old-growth blueberry forest, Ezra Ranz is demonstrating the “two-finger tickle” method for picking ripe berries from clusters dangling on 7-foot canes.
“Pretty simple,“ he says. ”Hands underneath the berries, gentle fingertips brushing toward your palms, presto. Like tickling a baby.”
Eric Lucas is a retired associate editor at Alaska Beyond Magazine and lives on a small farm on a remote island north of Seattle, where he grows organic hay, beans, apples, and squash.
