The hands behind Whidbey’s blueberries

Published 1:30 am Friday, August 7, 2026

Blueberry season on Whidbey Island is as much a rite of summer as sunshine and ferry rides.

From Aug. 14-16 and Aug. 22-23, Whidbey families can pick their own organic blueberries at the Silva Family Farm on North Whidbey during its limited U-pick weekends.

The joyful tradition is built on months of dedication and hard work by owner Maura Silva, who believes in skipping shortcuts in the name of healthy blueberries. By the time families wander into Silva Family Farm, at 935 Bunch Lane east of Oak Harbor, carrying empty buckets, Silva has already been awake for hours.

Silva spoke with a News-Times reporter in Spanish, though Spanish is not Silva’s first language. She learned it while working in the fields after arriving in the United States. Her native language is Mixtec — a group of Indigenous languages of Mexico, known by many of their speakers as Tu’un Sávi, or “the language of the rain.”

Silva and her family took over the property in 2019 after the previous owners left. While the blueberry plants were already established, they were small. The family brought more than 15 years of agricultural experience after working in the fields for other growers before starting their own farm.

That experience taught them how to grow crops. Running a farm, however, brought an entirely different set of responsibilities.

Today, the farm grows strawberries, blueberries, raspberries and more, with blueberries taking center stage during the summer harvest. During harvest season, the work stretches across every day of the week. Silva manages harvesting, deliveries, customer orders and sales, while her husband works another full-time job and helps when he can. Silva said fewer workers have been willing to work on farms since the Trump administration because many fear immigration enforcement. The workers who are willing are traveling from farther and raising their prices. Unable to afford to hire them, Silva does nearly everything herself.

The long hours leave little room for sleep.

“Hay días que me tengo que levantar a las tres y media, cuatro porque tengo que empezar temprano,” ella dijo. “Me voy a acostar a las doce, a la una de la mañana a veces. Duermo a veces tres horas.”

(“There are days I have to get up around 3:30 or 4:00 a.m. because I have to start early,” she said. “I don’t go to bed until midnight or 1 a.m. sometimes. Sometimes I sleep three hours.”)

Summer may be the busiest time of year, but the work never truly ends. After harvest comes pruning, preparing the fields for the next season and maintaining the farm year-round.

Growing organically adds another layer of difficulty, Silva explained.

Every berry is picked by hand. Weeds are pulled manually. Diseases, insects and wildlife constantly threaten the crop, yet synthetic chemical shortcuts are not an option, she said. Her decision to remain organic wasn’t based on convenience. She has seen firsthand how many chemicals other farms use on their berries.

“Pero pues pensando en la salud de nosotros y de nuestros clientes,” dijo Silva.

(“We’re thinking about our health and the health of our customers,” Silva said.)

Organic farming also means accepting that not every problem has an easy solution. Diseases can spread through the bushes. Tiny insects lay eggs inside ripening berries. Birds peck strawberries. Deer wander into the fields. Every season presents a new challenge, and every setback comes after months of labor already invested.

“En todo tenemos problemas. No hay ningún producto que digamos, ‘Aquí sí no hay problema y ganamos,’” dijo Silva.

(“Everything has problems. There isn’t any crop where we can say ‘There are no problems and we just make money,’” Silva said.)

Despite the challenges, Silva says seeing families arrive at the farm makes the hard work worthwhile.

“Pues es bonito, porque uno mira a la familia llegar con sus hijos y también uno ve el apoyo, porque nos apoyan al venir. Y al venir a piscar, a estar aquí, ellos aprecian nuestro trabajo.”

(“It’s beautiful because you see families arrive with their children. You feel their support because they support us by coming. By coming to pick berries and spend time here, they appreciate our work.”)

Years of farming have also become lessons for her own five children, who grew up working alongside their mom on the farm. She is proud to instill the values of hard work and sacrifice in her kids so they can learn what it takes to pursue their own goals. That, to her, is the real gift of owning a farm — being able to watch your children grow.

The difficult seasons have also reshaped Silva’s perspective.

“Uno va aprendiendo,” ella dijo, “primeramente confiando en Dios. Digo si está bien, qué bueno, y si no, pues, también vendrán tiempos mejores y hay que seguir trabajando.”

(“You learn,” she said, “first by trusting God. I say if things go well, that’s wonderful, and if they don’t, better times will come and you have to keep working.)

During the limited U-pick weekends, visitors can pick their own sweet, organic blueberries at the farm in Oak Harbor. Silva encourages families to come early because the berries are freshest in the morning.

The Silva family prefers to eat their blueberries on pancakes or in a smoothie. They shared the Famous Silva Family Smoothie Recipe with a News-Times reporter.

Measure with your heart:

– Milk

– Yogurt

– Blueberries

– Banana

– Raw egg (Raw eggs may contain Salmonella bacteria, which can cause food poisoning.)

– Strawberries

For information about Silva Family Farm, visit silvafamilyfarm.com or follow Silva Family Farm on Facebook and Instagram.

Other blueberry vendors on the island include Mutiny Bay Blues in Freeland, which offers blueberry deliveries, and Dugualla Bay Farms in Oak Harbor, which sells pre-picked blueberries.