The happiness of blueberries

Thanks to a "check this out" email from a friend I found a place locally to pick blueberries. To give you an idea of how ignorant I am about blueberries, I didn't realize they even grew in these parts. I thought they required cooler, drier climates than the hell-hot and humid western part of the Commonwealth. But grow they do, and this particular pick-your-own farm gave me an opportunity on two different occasions last week to experience the joy of picking fresh, ripe, and sweet blueberries. These are NOT the berries you get in the plastic clamshells at the supermarket...these are wonderful.


When we first began picking the blueberries last week the first few that landed in the buckets made a distinct "plunk" sound. If you have ever read the children's book "Blueberries for Sal" you know that the "kerplink, kerplank, kerplunk" sound is part of the story. We were happy to discover that blueberries do in fact make this sound.

So last week turned into "puttin' up" week. "Puttin' Up" is what my mom used to say about preparing any food for long-term storage. When I was young we put up corn, peas, green beans, strawberries, peaches, and applesauce. Lord did we put up applesauce. Gallons of the stuff.

After making a blueberry/lemon bread (deeeee-lishious!), and a blueberry/apple pie (with apples from my own tree), and after T1, T2 and I snacked on these things till we were blue in the face, I got really resourceful and decided to freeze the remaining blueberries.

I also have June apples of my very own for the first time since I planted my four apple trees five or six years ago. I have already made and frozen enough applesauce to satisfy even MY cravings for it, and we still have way more apples than I can use, so I'm trying to think creatively.

Which brings me to a roundabout way to my point. My children are seeing first hand the source of some of their foods. They actually picked the blueberries with me, and helped wash them. I've been sending them out to our apple trees with a bucket to pick apples, and teaching them how to tell the ripe ones from the not-ready-yet ones. They are watching and learning as I bake with these things and store them for future use. They are also watching The Reenactor grow the pickling cucumbers for his not-ready-for-a-blue-ribbon (yet) pickles. And they've helped him can those as well. What used to be a fact of life for most families (spending summers preserving fresh foods for winter) is becoming a rare pasttime. Yet it is so rewarding. I felt so peaceful in that blueberry patch...picking, listening to my children talk, and tasting fresh sweet berries. Here's my point, if we could find ways to re-introduce more children to the process of growing food, they might have a greater appreciation for what they consume, and the precious resource we have in agriculture. Blueberries don't grow on grocery store shelves, they grow on bushes. If it freezes too late in the spring--no blueberries. If the birds get to them first---you are left with quite literally the leftovers. Growing fresh foods doesn't just happen...it takes time, patience, and the blessings of the right amount of sunshine and rain. But once you see and taste the difference they bring to your kitchen, you are hooked.