Wy'east blueberry farms
— — the week the rows turn dusty blue.
Not only on a wall.
“Wy'east is the older name for Mount Hood — the one the Multnomah carried long before the mapmakers arrived. The valley that holds its north slope grows fruit: pears in the lower orchards, apples and cherries in the middle bench, blueberries on the cool upper farms where the volcanic soil drains fast and the nights stay cool into August. U-pick season runs roughly mid-July through early September. The mountain stands at the south end of every row, snow on top into July. from the studio
Wy'east blueberry farms, on ceramic.
Each tile is finished by hand in our Knoxville studio. Artwork is slowly infused into the ceramic surface under high heat and pressure, and rests beneath a thin glossy finish. The colour lives in the surface, not on top of it.
Pick any four 4-inch tiles — National Parks you've been to, a Smokies set, the four seasons of one place. $ for a set of , cork-backed, ready to live on the table.
The place, in three passes.
Wy'east is the Multnomah name for Mount Hood, the 11,249-foot stratovolcano that defines the southern edge of the Hood River Valley in northern Oregon. The valley runs north from the mountain to the Columbia River and is one of the most productive fruit-growing regions in the Pacific Northwest. Blueberry farms cluster on the upper benches, where volcanic loam drains well and elevation keeps the nights cool. The 35-mile Hood River Fruit Loop, marked since 1992, threads through the orchards and farms and was set up by the growers themselves to give visitors a route through the valley.
Blueberry season in the valley runs roughly mid-July through early September, with the heaviest pick weeks in late July and early August. The standard varieties are Duke (earliest), Bluecrop and Draper (mid), and Elliott (latest), so a farm that grows three or four can stretch the U-pick window across most of the summer. The berries ripen unevenly on the bush, which is why hand-picking still beats machines for fresh fruit. Mornings are the picking hours; by mid-afternoon the rows warm up and the fruit softens.
Most blueberry U-picks sit on the upper bench of the valley between the towns of Hood River and Parkdale, off Highway 35. Bring your own container if the farm allows; many supply flats at the gate. Cash is still common at the smaller farms. The drive south on 35 toward Government Camp puts Mount Hood directly in the windshield, and the same loop passes alpaca farms, lavender fields, and cider houses. The Fruit Loop map is available free at any visitor centre in Hood River.