How to Pick Bayberries

Bayberries have no skin, and a fully ripe one drops at a touch. Pick it the right way and you'll get the very best fruit.

How to tell when they're ripe

• Heitan bayberries: fully ripe when they've turned from red to deep purple, almost black; bright red ones will taste tart
• Lighter types such as Xiaotian and Dongkui: ripe when the colour is even, the little bumps on the surface look full and glossy, and the fruit loosens at a gentle touch
• On the same tree, fruit on the sunny side and the outside of the canopy ripens first

How to pick

1. Steady the branch gently with one hand and hold the fruit with your fingertips
2. Give it a gentle twist – a ripe bayberry comes away easily. If it won't come off, it isn't ripe yet; leave it a few more days
3. Lay the bayberries flat in your basket and don't pile them too high, or they'll start to leak juice
4. Leave fruit you can't reach – please never climb the trees or pull hard on branches; bayberry wood is brittle

Eat as you pick

Freshly picked under the tree is when bayberries taste best. You can give them a rinse with water you've brought. For bayberries you take home, many people soak them in lightly salted water for about ten minutes before rinsing.

Taking them home

• Bayberries are delicate – keep them in the shade on the way home, ideally with an ice pack
• Don't wash them when you get home; refrigerate straight away and wash just before eating
• Best eaten within 1–2 days

Tips

• Morning sessions are cooler and the fruit is at its freshest
• Wear closed shoes and long pants, bring a hat and water
• Please don't eat fruit that has fallen on the ground

Before you come, please also read Before You Visit.