Berry Patch Adventures
Some sweet friends invited us to go to a blueberry patch last week. We were originally scheduled to head out Monday, and Ella was counting down the days all weekend. However, severe thunderstorms thwarted our plans. Tears ensued until I mentioned that being a good mother means I protect my children from lightning at berry patches. Tears ceased. The countdown was then on for Friday. Friday morning dawned with cooler than normal (I'm sure you've noticed) temperatures in KC. We donned long sleeves, jackets and jeans, saddled ourselves in Jesse's big, rumbly truck and headed South of KC on lovely country roads to a blueberry patch. Well, the poor patch was having a rough year due to hungry robins. Roone tried to pick whatever he saw...
Needless to say we came up empty handed in the patch. I just won't mention the patch's name because I don't want to give it a bad name. I was told that in previous years it had great pickings. We'll try again another time. The farm's little store did produce a tasty blueberry muffin for us to enjoy on the way to another patch, a blackberry patch, at Cy and Dee's in Louisburg, Kansas.
Oh my. What a contrast in patches. Cy and Dee's blackberry bushes were full of beautiful berries for us to pick. The kids and I were quickly trained to spot the perfect berry (plump, all black, NO red) and off we went to gather berries to our hearts content. Here is Ella with her own bucket she filled.
Roone and I shared a bucket.
Roone also swiped a taste from our bucket. At home he hasn't taken to blackberries so in an effort to market these berries in a favorable light I mentioned that eating them would make him strong like Daddy. Well, he continued to eat in the patch and at random I would here him say the word "strong." Blackberry problem solved.
Here he is caught in the act of swiping.
The ultimate evidence: blackberry stains worn with pride.
Bounty. Just a little over 3 quarts for $12.
We've enjoyed eating the berries fresh and this weekend I made a blueberry syrup which we have eaten with waffles. I did go ahead and freeze some berries thinking ahead to the dark, cold Winter and knowing I'll need a reminder of sweet Summer.
Needless to say we came up empty handed in the patch. I just won't mention the patch's name because I don't want to give it a bad name. I was told that in previous years it had great pickings. We'll try again another time. The farm's little store did produce a tasty blueberry muffin for us to enjoy on the way to another patch, a blackberry patch, at Cy and Dee's in Louisburg, Kansas.Oh my. What a contrast in patches. Cy and Dee's blackberry bushes were full of beautiful berries for us to pick. The kids and I were quickly trained to spot the perfect berry (plump, all black, NO red) and off we went to gather berries to our hearts content. Here is Ella with her own bucket she filled.
Roone and I shared a bucket.
Roone also swiped a taste from our bucket. At home he hasn't taken to blackberries so in an effort to market these berries in a favorable light I mentioned that eating them would make him strong like Daddy. Well, he continued to eat in the patch and at random I would here him say the word "strong." Blackberry problem solved.Here he is caught in the act of swiping.
The ultimate evidence: blackberry stains worn with pride.
Bounty. Just a little over 3 quarts for $12.
We've enjoyed eating the berries fresh and this weekend I made a blueberry syrup which we have eaten with waffles. I did go ahead and freeze some berries thinking ahead to the dark, cold Winter and knowing I'll need a reminder of sweet Summer.
Comments
The blackberry patch is Cy and Dee's in Louisburg, KS. They don't have a website, but they do have an ad on Craigslist...they like you to call beforehand to make sure they have enough for you to pick. Try to go!
thesweetnest.blogspot.com/2009-07/pie-is-good-distraction.html
It looks delicious!