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July
27
27
Meet the Man Behind Blueberried Alive, A Local Columbus Farm
Even if you're not planning to buy anything, meandering through a farmers' market is an experience in and of itself. You'll smell bright flowers, sample freshly baked pastries, and get to rummage through the piles and piles of fresh produce that the farmers are showcasing. A conversation with one of these farmers can reveal so much about their passions, their hardships, and about why shopping local is always the best way to go.
Martin Stehli, owner and founder of Blueberried Alive, is one such farmer. A born-and-raised Ohio native, Stehli has drawn a lot of support from his family and the surrounding community to make his dream of growing and selling fresh blueberries a reality. We spoke to him about his Columbus roots, the beginnings of his blueberry business, and how he keeps those pesky birds away from his crops.
Photos courtesy of Blueberried Alive
Cutler: Tell me about the beginning! How did Blueberried Alive get its start?
Martin: I started it in 2010, but I had some experience in it because my family grew blueberries in Northeastern Ohio. I grew up in that area, learned about which varieties I liked the most, and learned from my failures and successes. I went to college in Columbus and lived there for about ten years, and then planted the farm in Ashland.Cutler: What did you do before becoming a blueberry farmer?
Martin: I did a number of things. I taught piano lessons and I worked as an arborist planting trees, and I also invested and worked a little bit at UPS — but mostly I've been self-employed.Cutler: Are you happy with your career now?
Martin: Yes! Definitely. The blueberry business is definitely not a get-rich-quick scheme. It takes a lot of time to get rolling, but now it really seems like things are starting to come together. It gets better every year! The plants are getting bigger and looking healthier, I'm getting a lot of return customers, word is getting out at the market, and I've been branching out to try new things. I also like that it's an occupation that demands a lot of different facets of a person. You have to be part business person, part sales person, part designer, part engineer, part irrigation whiz, etc. So I think I like the challenge. And of course I love being outside! I'm in a really pretty area of the state.
Cutler: So why the name?
Martin: I love puns! At the market, we dump out a lot of empty pint baskets and fill 'em up until they're overflowing, so I thought of the name because I like to think of myself as a little person sitting in that pint basket just being completely covered in blueberries. It's a dream.Cutler: Birds are definitely an obstacle many farmers face. We read a bit about the farm's eco-friendly efforts to keep birds away, including nets. How have these nets been working so far? What are some of the tactics that have worked best?
Martin: Everything kind of works for a while, and it seems like using nets has been the best strategy so far, but the birds — especially the starlings — are very smart, and it's tough to get them to go away. It's like once they try blueberries, they forget that other kinds of food exists. The nets definitely work, but so do scare tactics like putting out fake hawks or using predatory bird sounds, and sounds of birds in distress. That seems to work pretty well, but I think the best strategy is to use a big combination of tactics, because there is no cure-all.Cutler: I guess the birds want the blueberries as much as the people do!
Martin: Yeah, and you really can't blame them for it. If I was a bird, I'd do the same thing.
Cutler: How many people work with you at Blueberried Alive?
Martin: It varies depending on the time of year and what all needs to be done, but right now in the summer, I'd say it's about 10 people, and it's mostly picking that they're doing. Some people go out there and pick bucket after bucket, sometimes seven or eight buckets in a day. One girl is 13 and she's really good, and another girl is in her 80s and she's also really good. As far as other tasks on the farm, it's really amazing what a talented few can do. I've found a few people that are really good at what they do, for example Christine Soliman. Christine is like a ray of sunshine — she's the one who takes the berries to the market. She has this car that is painted all over and has pieces of magazine glued to it — she calls it the art car — and it's usually parked right next to where she's selling the berries. She's also working on becoming a great juggler, and her presence seems to really draw people in.Cutler: Blueberried Alive grows five cultivars, Duke, Spartan, Toro, Bluecrop and Elliot. What are the differences between these?
Martin: There are many different cultivars, and one of the main distinguishing factors is when they ripen. I pick a variety that ripen at different times so I can have a nice long season. The Duke and the Spartans ripen pretty early, the Toro and the Bluecrop are more of a midseason (I like the Bluecrops a lot), and the Elliots are more of a late season. They're not ripe yet, but they'll carry our season even through late August. The mid and late season blueberries have a complicated flavor — sweet and sour at the same time.Cutler: Can you tell us a bit about the health benefits of blueberries?
Martin: They are one of the best things you can eat! They are high in antioxidants, and like most healthy fruits and veggies, a lot of the health benefits are in the pigment, and the anthocyanins that make up that rich blue pigment are really good for you. There are also polyphenols, vitamin C, vitamin K, manganese, folate and fiber. And it doesn't hurt that they're also delicious!Cutler: How many blueberries do you think you eat per day?
Martin: During the season I eat them all day — I'd maybe say about three pounds.Cutler: Wow. Do you ever get sick of them?
Martin: Nope! Never.
Cutler? How do you like them best?
Martin: I like them chilled! I like to put them fresh in the fridge and eat them later. But I also love frozen blueberries, blueberry pies, and there's a recipe for blueberry gingerbread that I love a lot.Cutler: How do you think the Columbus community has supported or affected your business?
Martin: The Columbus community is very enthusiastic and very friendly. When I go to North Market, I always see people recognizing each other, and I see a lot of friendly faces. It's amazing in such a big city with a population of hundreds of thousands of people, that you still see so many people you know. It feels a lot like a small town. It's fun to see what they're doing with the blueberries. They'll tell me about recipes and such, and they'll be excited to see me too and hear about what I'm planning to do next. I also think it's a wonderful thing that people are willing to buy local. People's food, on average, travels thousands of miles to get to them and comes from countries all over the world. That's such a waste of resources! I don't know if my blueberries are particularly exceptional or not, but I have no doubt that they lose a little bit of something traveling from Argentina. It means a lot to me that they are willing to seek me out at market, buy fresh delicious blueberries, and support my business.Cutler: Do you have any plans for the future?
Martin: Last year I got together a list of people who would be interested in buying frozen blueberries throughout the year. Not everybody has a big freezer to keep them around, so I saved up a bunch of frozen ones and sent out an email offering to deliver the blueberries to their door. That worked out really well! It's like a frozen blueberry CSA. I plan to keep doing that. If you're hankering for a blueberry fix, you can find heaping baskets of fresh blueberries at Pearl Street Market in Columbus on Tuesdays and Fridays, and North Market on Saturdays. If you can't wait that long, you are always welcome to visit the farm in person for a pick-your-own experience! Blueberried Alive is located at 532 County Road 2302, Loudonville, OH. Contact the farm (and get your name on that frozen blueberry list) by calling 330-221-7764.
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