Maine History Told by Mainers

Blueberry Picking

Submitted March 20, 2008 by Tom Lefebvre

My older sister and I used to look forward to picking blueberries during the summer months. We had a local resident who hired a bus and driver and we would travel mid-coast Maine to rake blueberries and earn "spending money" and keep us out of trouble in the neighborhood. It was hard back-breaking work and very hot during the summer months in Maine. My sister and I would compete on who earned the most money during the week and she always complained that she got a sparse area of the field to pick blueberries. I remember during the 1960's we would earn approximately $.50 for every bushel we picked and we thought we were "rich." Those were the days!