Tuesday, August 08, 2006

It's a good year

...for blueberries in this neck of the woods.




H and I picked berries again tonight. I get lots of thinking done while I pick. Sometimes when I grab a handful of berries I'll grab onto a solution to a problematic poem. Sometimes I end up with a bit of a line. Sometimes a sound. And I don't mean the scream I let out when the ant sunk itself into my leg.

21 comments:

Anonymous said...

Those blueberries look as if they're worth the odd ant nip.

Anita Daher said...

Yummy!

Ariel Gordon said...

My favorite, when my parents still had their cabin in the Lake of the Woods area, was coming across a painted turtle in a wild blueberry patch, snoozing mid-meal.

But my mumsy's blueberry and sour cream pie, served while a nice evening breeze blew across the veranda, was a close second.

Also blueberry pancakes.

(Okay, I'll stop)

Anonymous said...

OK Ariel, you owe me a new keyboard. I've ruined mine with drool.

Brenda Schmidt said...

You're right, Pete. They're worth every bite. I dunno if it's just my imagination, but the biggest ants seem to hang around the biggest berries. What kind of berries do you have in your part of the world?

Yummy, indeed, Anita! It's amazing how much their taste varies from place to place. The ones we picked last night are divine.

Ariel, you owe me a keyboard, too.

Anonymous said...

Mostly just wild blackberries, Brenda. The birds usually get them before I do, but there's always something satisfying about wandering down the road and retrieving a few berries from a patch the local council hasn't sprayed (blackberry is a "noxious weed" here).

Of course, there are various native berries as well, but few are worth the effort, and some can do you harm if you don't process them appropriately.

Tracy Hamon said...

Hands off the blueberries people. They're going to be all mine in a few days.

Ha!

Brenda Schmidt said...

Well I feel even luckier now for the variety of wild berries we have here. And you're right, Pete. There is something satisfying about picking them.

Tracy, I'm sure everybody dropped their pails at that. It stormed this morning and it looks like we're in for more over the next few days, but they're forecasting sun for next week. Don't forget to bring a pail.

GM said...

The bleuets are particularly good here this year too. Or so they tell me. To me it just looks like an embarrassment of riches to have more than one plant. We went picking a couple days ago and they were just everywhere, like purple loosestrife. We picked half a bucket in about half an hour. And the vast majority of berries weren't ready yet. Should be good for the weekend though, so I'm priming the boy for a trip out to Middle Cove. The raspberries are everywhere too.

Can someone remind me why I lived in Toronto for so long?

Brenda Schmidt said...

Uh, because of a deep-seated longing to be part of a Guinness world record line-up at the Tim Hortons on Bloor?

Anonymous said...

Those blueberries look like they belong in a pie. They would be almost as good as the Saskatoons that I didn't get!

Brenda Schmidt said...

Mmm, Saskatoon pie! My Mom makes the best Saskatoon pie on this planet.

Ariel Gordon said...

The secret, according to Mumsy, is that you cook half the blueberries with sugar, turning them into a sort of jam.

Once you're ready to serve the pie, and the sour cream has been spooned into the pie crust, you stir the rest of the fresh blueberries into the cooked ones and the layer that on top of the sour cream.

I haven't had the pie in years...I think I would trade a month of my life for a piece of that pie. Okay, maybe not for a single piece - but I would be sorely tempted by a whole pie.

(though smog vs bog is no contest...)

Crafty Missus said...

we're a bit behind in our berry season although the raspberries on the rennie's river are blooming. my mom and i walk there daily, mostly so we can have a little feast...

Brenda Schmidt said...

Ariel, I think the real secret would be to learn how to make that pie just like your mumsy. Then you should come visit during blueberry season and prove to me just how good that pie is.

Cara, I wouldn't mind a little feast of raspberries right now. They're not as plentiful here as blueberries and cranberries.

Anonymous said...

Thank you Brenda. Anytime you pick the berries I will make the pies !

Brenda Schmidt said...

It's a deal! :)

berlynn said...

Oh, oh, oh, and blueberries, too! Yummmmm!!!

Brenda Schmidt said...

Yum indeed. We're well into blueberry season and still Tracy and I found some nice berries right by the highway the other day. Enough for her to take back south. Of course the less traveled trails would be far more fruitful. :) H and I will likely check a few of those out on the weekend. Anyhow, blueberry season is long. You should be able to locate a nice patch.

berlynn said...

Oh good-good-good! I'm a'looking forward to it! Yum!

Brenda Schmidt said...

And don't forget to bring along everything you need to make blueberry pancakes...