Although not a farmer, Julie Tuman’s first job as a kid in North Carolina was throwing hay bales and her second job was picking blackberries. Graduate school drew Tuman to the area, but a vision for homemade popsicles sourced from local produce kept her here.
Tuman is the owner and popmaster of Crooked Stick Pops in Easthampton. In 2016, when she launched Crooked Stick Pops, Tuman aspired to pick local fruit for her products at farms that offered a pick-your-own model.
“Back then, I would go to Quonquont and pick blueberries. We picked 30 bushels of apples — which felt like so many apples!” she said. “Now, it just makes me giggle. . .