hoghntr Report post Posted July 25, 2015 Was gonna head up to Payson & do some picking with family then realized might be few weeks early Anyone have 1st hand info?? thanks Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Viper Report post Posted July 25, 2015 I know that on the Rim, the season is the last week of July through August. Should be a good year. Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
hoghntr Report post Posted July 25, 2015 I know that on the Rim, the season is the last week of July through August. Should be a good year.So I may be a week early.. bummer Then again I guess it is the last week... anybody seen ripe berries yet? Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Viper Report post Posted July 25, 2015 Not sure...season might be a little earlier at lower elevations. It's not that far a drive to find out. Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
muleybowhunter Report post Posted July 25, 2015 sedona last weekend there was some not a ton heading up to payson today to check them out. Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
WHT_MTNMAN Report post Posted July 25, 2015 Buddy of mine said they were almost ready. Might be another week or two. Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
kidso Report post Posted July 25, 2015 Forget the blackberries, the service berries have been ripe all July!! They are starting to wrinkle up, but will still be ok for another week or two elevation and sun exposure dependent, of course! By the way, if you have never eaten a service berry, they are practically the same size, shape, and color of a blueberry, but can be reddish-purple to purplish-black depending on their state of maturity. They also have the same sepals (triangle shaped and circularly arranged flower parts) on their berries as blueberries do. Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
CouesWhitetail Report post Posted July 25, 2015 My husband and I checked Workman creek the other day and they were not ripe yet. 4 Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Sam Report post Posted July 25, 2015 We were just north of Payson on Thursday. They aren't ripe yet. Some bushes had a few ripe ones, most were still green or slightly red. I picked about 20 of them and less than half were sweet. I thought more would be ready. I would say 2 more weeks. 1 Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
naturegirl Report post Posted July 25, 2015 Where abouts should someone look for these AZ berries? What kinds of areas do they like to grow in? I was just talking to a friend jokingly about trading elk meat for Michigan berries that he's picking now. Hmmm. I didn't know they are here for my picking. Yummy! When I'm back east, my problem is I eat them as fast as I pick them Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Desert muley Report post Posted July 25, 2015 I was in Pine and saw some ripe berries on Fri. but still lots of green ones 2 Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Viper Report post Posted July 25, 2015 They are actually raspberries...dark purple when ripe. There are huge patches on the rim in the old burn areas. If you drive the Rim road (300) from the 87 side, you will find them once you get into the old burn areas. There is a huge one at the 300 - 95 junction, on the rim edge. 2 Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
bhuntin Report post Posted July 25, 2015 Some spots are never talked about ...just get up on the rim and look for narrow little drainages that spill into larger canyons,you'll find them 1 Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
naturegirl Report post Posted July 25, 2015 Guess I haven't been spending enough time towards that side of the rim. I'll keep my eyes open for the lovely little snacks. 1 Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
hoghntr Report post Posted July 26, 2015 Forget the blackberries, the service berries have been ripe all July!! They are starting to wrinkle up, but will still be ok for another week or two elevation and sun exposure dependent, of course! By the way, if you have never eaten a service berry, they are practically the same size, shape, and color of a blueberry, but can be reddish-purple to purplish-black depending on their state of maturity. They also have the same sepals (triangle shaped and circularly arranged flower parts) on their berries as blueberries do. This intrigues me. Share this post Link to post Share on other sites