How to pick blueberries

What to look for

1. 1

   Colour is not enough. A berry turns blue several days before it is sweet, so give the cluster a gentle roll with your thumb and take only the ones that drop on their own

2. 2

   Look for the dusty pale bloom on the skin. It rubs off on handling, so a berry that still has it has not been picked over

3. 3

   Cup a hand under the cluster and tickle rather than pull, so the ripe ones fall and the rest keep ripening for whoever comes next week

4. 4

   A red or pink shoulder near the stem means it needs more time. It will not improve in the container

5. 5

   Bushes ripen from the outside in and the top down, so the shaded middle is usually where the untouched fruit is