Sunday, July 13, 2008

Blueberries

I hauled the family out to Hollabaugh Brother's Fruit Farm in Biglersville, PA to pick blueberries. I thought the girls were excited and knew Nathan came just to humor me, but found that I was pretty much the only one who enjoyed it at all ("It's hot!" "It will hurt my fingers [sobs]!" "My whole childhood was devoted to trying to teach me to love this kind of work. Instead, I just learned to avoid it at all costs."), though everyone tried and Audrey was fairly determined (and Nathan & Mare put in their time: see them here.)
AND: enjoy it I did! I was exceedingly cheerful and could have kept going for hours. Except we already bought more than we will eat (luckily they freeze wondrously).
Most happily, I was able to buy a huge haul of beautiful local fruit: Queen Anne cherries, Sweet Cheeks apricots, Snow Queen white peaches, lovely plums (Santa Rosa?) with bright red-purple flesh, and plenty of Blue Ray blueberries. Here's the sampling I put up front to eat while I drove the 20 miles home. It lasted 5 minutes.

Marian did cheerfully (and unasked) help transfer berries from my pickin' basket.

4 comments:

Elise and Lane said...

Oh how I wish we could have gone with you- I can't stop thinking about all the wonderful foods I could make with those pick'ns. And alas... it's game night, they need to come up with some sort of online settlers... How will Lane ever find his next book to read! We will have to take some cool Texas "superstar" pics for y'all though!

Snippety Gibbet said...

Next time, let Mr. Petunia ride his bike and trailer through the field...kiddies grabbing berries as if they were brass rings on the merry-go-round.

Would you email me your address? I have a package to send. Thanks!
ArtTchrJan@aol.com

natasha said...

i have black raspberries in my yard, and usually strawberries, too. i love picking stuff. it is so fun! i bet the kids have a ball.

i have hats for marian that i need to get in the mail. bad me!

Anonymous said...

Okay I can see the whole grumpiness over self-sufficiency when its about cutting logs and stacking wood, and over the beeswax... but passing up the chance to pick fresh blueberries, God's greatest gift to mankind? Tell NG to get his priorities straight!