I had planned to continue the work on painting the cabinets, but when I lamented about the quickly passing blueberry season, my daughter volunteered to work on painting the cabinets, which freed me up to make a quick trip out to the local blueberry farm for a taste of the blues, before the season is over.
I grabbed three of these red buckets, and a small wagon, and I was in business.
The lovely country surroundings, with the mountains, clear blue skies, and gentle breeze were invigorating as I began to pick. Soon my hands (and yes my mouth, cause you gotta do taste tests you know!) were a lovely shade of blue!
There were spots for picnic lunches, and chairs for resting. However, sadly enough, I had time for neither!
In two hours, I picked 19 pounds of blueberries (about 3 gallons). Years of wild blueberry picking as a child helped me out. I had learned a few tricks of the trade, one being that you tie the bucket to your waist, or belt, and hold the bush above your bucket, and gently roll the blueberries between your fingers. The ripe ones fall off, the unripe ones don't. Plop, plop, plop go the berries... a lovely sound as your bucket fills up!
I didn't spend much time gazing around at my surroundings, because I was on a mission, but... it was a beautiful place to be while I worked hard to gather my berries.
Maybe another day I'll come back when their blackberries are in season (sometime in late August), and spend a little more time here. But for today...
... my mission was accomplished - to gather in enough blueberries to last us through the winter until next year.
Once getting the berries home, I washed them, and placed them in large flat trays to flash freeze.
After flash freezing for an hour or two, I place the berries in containers or freezer ziplock bags for storage. Then... it was time to enjoy the blues!
I enjoy blueberries in my daily smoothie, and also there is nothing like a bowl of fresh blueberries, a bit of sugar, and some cream!
A tasty reward after a couple of hours of hard work!
And maybe this weekend I'll find some time to whip up a batch of blueberry muffins, or scones, or cake, or pancakes, or.... something with some of those delicious blueberries ... :)
If you have a delicious or easy blueberry recipe, please share the recipe or your blog post... I'd love to be inspired! Until then... I'm enjoying my taste of blues!
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You can easily substitute blueberries in my salal muffin recipe that I posted last week. I've done it before. Beautiful pictures of some yummy looking berries.
ReplyDeleteI will be giving your muffin recipe a try! I am also inspired to try it with the Oregon grapes when they ripen later this year! Hope your day is blessed today :)
DeleteOne of my favorite fruits! :0) mari
ReplyDeleteYes, mine too! I just love fresh blueberries, and a frozen blueberry is a great snack as well! Have a blessed and wonderful day :)
DeleteThat's a lot of blueberries! I've never been picking, even on a mission, it sounds like fun! :) Yum...enjoy!
ReplyDeleteIt looks like a lot of blueberries, but they go quickly at our house, so I am wondering if they will be enough, lol! Blueberry picking is a lot of fun, especially when the bushes are loaded! :)
DeleteYum! Glad you got in some time to pick blueberries!
ReplyDeleteYes, me too! :) Thanks for your visit today!
DeleteOh, yummy!!! They look SO good! We went on a homeschool field trip to pick strawberries. I had such grand ideas of freezing them or doing something else with them, and lo, and behold, we ate....them all!!! OH, my! But, we did enjoy them so much. Makes me think of the Scripture that says "who satsifieth thy mouth with good things". I believe it is a delight to our Lord to provide such bounty and tastiness for us. He is such a good God. I wanted to thank you SO very much for the wonderful, precious words of encouragement you left on my blog today. You will NEVER know how much I needed that and appreciated it. God bless you abundantly, sweet friend. :)
ReplyDeleteYes, fresh berries just don't last very long here either! That is a beautiful scripture thought to go along with the fresh taste of berries! I always enjoy reading your posts, and praying the Lord continues to bless your heart for Him! Have a beautiful and blessed day today my friend! :)
DeleteOh, what delightful 'blue' post! Aren't blueberries the most beautiful of berries...? And how lovely that you were able to do a bit of berry picking in the bright summer sun whilst your work back home was being done for you...oh! Such a sweet blessing! :)
ReplyDeleteHmmm...blueberry muffins are a favourite around here! I do hope you find some wonderful recipes to try...so lovely your freezer is stocked with blueberry goodness for the wintertime!
Have a blessed and wonderful weekend ahead! Much love and big hugs to you!
Kelly-Anne
Yes, blueberries are such amazing berries, and one of my favorite to enjoy and cook with! It was a blessing to get away for a couple of hours, and stock up the freezer for the winter! I trust that you are staying warm as the winter winds blow! I always enjoy reading about your adventures on the other side of the world, and praying that the Lord blesses your day today with His precious presence! :)
DeleteMy favorite fruit! Glad you were able to get out and gather some berries. You will appreciate them this winter, for sure!! Have a wonderful weekend, and enjoy the blues!
ReplyDeleteDebbie
xo
I think blueberries and strawberries share the place for my favorite fruit! It was so much fun to get out and gather the berries on such a beautiful day... praying that the Lord is blessing your day today with His precious presence! :)
DeleteI LOVE blueberries! Fresh, muffins, anyway!
ReplyDeleteBeautiful photos.
Enjoy your weekend ♥
I have a soft spot for blueberries too, and in muffins, they are perfect! Praying you have a blessed day :)
DeleteWhat fun blueberry picking I hope you had blue fingers for an entire day laugh out lol. I always like to make muffins and pancakes with my blueberries I so enjoyed the inspiration of fresh blueberries. How sweet that your daughter let you out for a bit.painting is so much work. hugs Roxy
ReplyDeleteOh yes, the blue fingers lasted for quite a while, lol! I think muffins are our favorite way for blueberries, but I also have heard of a recipe for blueberry vinaigrette for salad that I'd like to try... we'll see what happens, lol! Yes, painting those cabinets has been a LOT of work... but I know I'll enjoy the finished product :) Thanks for your visit, and praying the Lord's blessings be with you today :)
DeleteWhat a fun thing to do! I wish we had a farm like that around here or anyone who grew fresh berries.
ReplyDeleteAmalia
xo
Yes, it is a delightful thing to do! There are quite a few U-pick farms within an hour or so of where we live, which is pretty awesome! Thank you for you visit, and praying your day is blessed today :)
Deletelovely post!
ReplyDeleteThank you for your visit... it is much appreciated! Hope you have a beautiful day today :)
Deletelovely post!
ReplyDeleteIdaho Blueberries, is there anything better?
ReplyDeleteWell, maybe Blackberries!!!
Indeed so true, Idaho blueberries are amazing, and oh yes, I do love those blackberries too! Have a wonderful day! :)
DeleteWell hello there friend! What a fun day. And boy I bet your fingers were blue forever. LOL! It's nice to be able to break free from all the work and do something a little fun every now and again. Even though you had to work to get the blueberries, the reward at the end is worth everything! I put blueberries in just about everything. Smoothies, scones, pancakes and even a cobbler. I saw a very easy cobbler recipe on a friend's blog and all you do is melt 1 stick of butter in an 8 by 8 pan, mix together 1 cup flour, 1 cup sugar, half a teaspoon salt, two thirds cup milk. Stir well. Pour the mixture over the melted butter but do not stir! Pour in about a cup to 2 cups blueberries but don't stir. Bake at 350 for 30 to 40 minutes or until brown on top. She used peaches but I think you can do blueberries too. As this seems to be a basic recipe. I hope you get inspired. We all need that from time to time. I hope you have a wonderful week. Hugs to you, Amy
ReplyDeleteHi Amy! So great to hear from you, as I know you have been very busy yourself! Thank you for the great recipe for cobbler, and the funny thing is that I did make a blueberry cobbler on Sunday, and the recipe is very close to the one you just gave me, lol! Appreciate you taking the time to share it with me, and the readers here, and I hope that you are having a blessed and wonderful week with all that you have going on at your house! Many hugs :)
DeleteSuch beauty surrounds you... your so lucky. The blueberries look fabulous. Yum.
ReplyDeleteOh I thank the Lord EVERY DAY for this place that I live in! The beauty here never ceases to amaze me. We are blessed! And yes, those blueberries are fabulous! :) Thank you so much for your visit!
DeleteOh my goodness, the blue berries look so yummy. How much fun it must have been picking them. Enjoy!
ReplyDeleteHugs and Kisses,
❤️Ana
It was a wonderful lot of fun, and I hope to go back and get some more before the season is over. Oh I love blueberries! Hoping your day is blessed today!
DeleteSweet friend, your berries look soooo good and tasty and with cream....oh my, yes please!
ReplyDeleteThinking of you, sweet friend, and wishing you a lovely Wednesday. Hugs to you!
Wow - I am amazed as I go back through my posts, how long I've been negligent at responding to comments! So sorry to be this long in replying... but do appreciate your visit, your comments, and your sweet wishes, I am always blessed by your visits, and your friendship! :)
DeleteOh how wonderful to be able to pick your own! It reminds me of my grandparents victory garden. They still had one in the 1980s :)
ReplyDeleteThe house is looking wonderful. I know your pain on painting cabinets... I hope it goes well :)
xo
Dear Rue... thanks so much for your visit! I apologize for the delay in responding to your comment... things just got very hectic with the downsizing we were doing, and moving. However, we are settling in now, and just loving this warm cozy little home we've moved into! Ha - you understand the pain of painting cabinets - not a fun job! LOL! However, I've been enjoying the finished product, and it is worth it! Appreciate your visit, and apologize again in taking so long to respond! I hope to stop by your site in the next day or so to say hello :)
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