Great Harvest

It’s berry pickin time!

I remember back in my younger days when even the thought of picking berries was pure torture.

All of us Kolar kids had to endure berry picking in Michigan’s Upper Penisula. I remember it being just awful. Hot, dry and what seemed like a gazzilion deer flies, no-see-ums, and mosquitos making your life pure misery. The deer flies were the worst… they lived not so much to bite you, but to torment you by flying around your head and driving you crazy with their high-pitched buzzing. They packed a mighty mean bite too though.

It was forced labor for sure… my Dad’s favorite little saying was “no pick-y, no eat-y” and the thought of not being able to eat those wonderful blueberry pancakes the next morning was just to much to bear.

I can remember saying that when I grew up I would never, ever pick another berry!

Well, I’ve grown up and I’ve been doing quite a bit of berry pickin the past couple of weeks. I still don’t like it much, but It isn’t nearly as bad when you have the bushes right in your back yard.  The blueberries have been very prolific this year. I had to net them all in because the mockingbird that I used to be happy to share with,  decided to bring along a lot of his extended family and I’m just not that generous! Here’s one of the first pickins… several more have followed since this pic was taken.

I was just outside and noticed that a bunch more are ready to be picked too.

But NOW my very favorite berry is starting to ripen… raspberries. I love them sooooooo much!

My Dad’s cousin’s husband, who lives in Charlottesville Virginia was kind enough to share a couple of plants from his berry patch a few years ago and this is the first year that they are just full of (as my BFF would say) “scrum-tru-lesent” berries. This is the first pickin…

All I’ve got to say is “YUM” 

and I’ve begun to tell Mr. C… “No pick-y, no eat-y!” A chip off the old block, that’s me.