The Spoils

I am happy to report that not a single earwig made it home with me from blueberry picking today.

In the trunk, having a pre-picking snack.

I did however, make it home with a couple of spiders, and some potatoes. Not to mention the blueberries. Almost 6 pounds of them, which I somehow managed to pick while gossiping with a friend and watching our 2 babes crawl/wander around in the damp grass of the blueberry field. 

Then we had a picnic, which was absolutely nothing special other than for the fact that we got to eat it outside.

 

There was no one else there today, with the exception of Pat, the owner and farmer. He was a very sweet old guy. It was so nice to have the place all to ourselves--the kids could wander around and eat as many blueberries as they could find, without bothering other pickers or us worrying that they were getting into other people's stuff. 

Plus, it was a rather cool day, temperature wise. No sticky sweat to make you wish you could go home, and not too many bugs either. I wish all berry picking experiences could be so pleasant. 

Now I have 4 pounds of blueberries in my freezer, almost 2 lbs more left untouched (I'll save them for tomorrow, I'm blueberried out for today) and plans to return to the small farm I discovered in a couple of weeks for more blueberries, sweet corn and green beans, plus cucumbers and dill for pickles.

But what to do with all those blueberries that I now have sitting pretty in a bowl on the table? Perhaps muffins, perhaps pancakes, perhaps just let Lilli stuff herself silly for the next couple of days. Maybe all three. I'm also thinking some blueberry crumb bars might be just the thing, because I am supposed to be bringing cookies to several different events this weekend. And since I have some red currants sitting around, I think I'll add those in as well. I'll probably use this recipe, as I do adore pretty much any recipe from Smitten Kitchen.


I encourage you to find a berry field, and for an hour or two, or the whole day if you think you're tough enough, hang out and pick berries. Eat your fill, laugh with a friend, and bring enough home to put some in the freezer. When you pull them out in the middle of winter, you will thank yourself for the joy of that summer day, and the memories that each berry has attached to it.