BERTRAND TOWNSHIP — The small parking lot at Lehman’s Orchard was nearly full Tuesday morning as people were out in the field picking what was left of the strawberry crop, which is nearing the end of its season.

The baskets will soon be full of blueberries and tart cherries as the Niles you-pick operation opened up the season today for both fruits.

Steve Lecklider, farm manager, said the mild winter resulted in healthy crops for both blueberries and tart cherries.

“There is an awful lot of fruit out there and it looks really good,” he said. “The plants are in good shape because of the mild winter we had. We’ve also had plenty of moisture and warm weather to bring the crops along.”

The tart cherry you-pick is expected to last three weeks at Lehman’s, while blueberry you-pick will last through the end of August.

“It should be a long season for blueberries,” Lecklider said.

In addition to getting fresh fruit, Lecklider said you-picking can be a fun activity. Many of the people at the orchard Tuesday were families with young children.

“I think that is at least 50 percent of it,” he said. “People like to come out and lose themselves picking the fruit. They make it an event. Some people bring their lunch and spend quite a few hours picking fruit and socializing.”

Lehman’s, which also sells value added products like jams, butters and wine, is open from 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. Monday through Saturday and from noon to 5 p.m. Sunday.

For those who do not want to do their own picking, Shelton’s Farm Market in Niles began selling Michigan blueberries on Monday.

Jim Shelton said that while the early berries are good, the quality should improve over the next week to 10 days.

“The berries are good quality. It is just that the flavor gets better in about 10 days from now,” he said, adding that to his knowledge Michigan should have a good crop of blueberries this year. “The big thing is getting them harvested. My main supplier has got berries and has a hard time keeping berry pickers and said there will be gaps in a few varieties early. But there is berries out there at least.”

Shelton described the blueberry as the world’s “best fruit” because it is healthy, easy to use, requires no preparation and there is no waste.

“It’s the simplest thing in the world,” he said.

Shelton’s is also taking orders for tart cherries, which are chilled and pitted, and can be sugared or non-sugared.

For up-to-date information on Shelton’s Farm Market, visit their Facebook page. Lehman’s Orchard also provides updates on Facebook.