Summer ritual continues despite the virus

MILTON-FREEWATER, Ore.-Lampson's U-Pick Blueberries adjusted capably for the coronavirus by instituting an appointment system to manage the number of people picking in the fields at one time. Eight cars are let in at 15-minute intervals and owner Clark Lampson assigns people to a row of bushes distanced from other pickers.

Pickers of all ages wore masks while they chatted and picked Duke blueberries, a variety known for its large, slightly tart berries, as I visited on a recent weekday. The bushes were so loaded that one could rake them off in clumps; this picker gleaned 10 lbs. in just over an hour. Lamspon's is owned by Lyla and Clark Lampson, and is located at 54738 Day Road in Milton-Freewater. To book a picking appointment visit lampsonblueberries.com/book-now.