Blueberries!

Hi friends! This is Mark writing. Last Saturday, Benjamin and I had a killer time together that I thought would be fun to share here on the blog. We picked blueberries! Katherine and I did this way back when we were young and without kids - I think it was the summer of 2002 in Corvallis, OR. We both remember it being lots of fun and had hoped to go the last couple years. Our feeble efforts weren't helped by the fact that the previous two summers were excessively dry, enough to make for a paltry blueberry crop. The place we went, Moorhead's Blueberry Farm, offers updates on the state of the berries. We also have some friends who went and reported it was pretty dismal last year. But things are different this year - we got a few nice rains, and we have a three year old! It was a disgustingly hot day, and we didn't get there until about 10:30am, so the sun was fierce. But that didn't stop us from having a great time and coming home with some darn good eats. I loved this activity for a few different reasons:

1. Like most, we have a busy schedule, so it was precious to spend some quality time with Ben. His character is shining more every day, and it really is a joy to witness.
2. While we don't do it often enough, I really like the idea of buying locally grown food - it's fresher, supports the local economy, and is cultivated for flavor rather than transportability.
3. I think it's great for Ben to see that food comes from things like plants and animals, not just the grocery store.
4. We got some outstandingly delicious berries - noticeably better than the ones at Kroger.
5. $3.20 for two pounds of blueberries, $2.00 for snowcone afterward. Not bad for good food and good entertainment.

Ben had a ball. I had to spend a few minutes explaining that we wanted the blue ones, not the red ones. And at first he just wanted to eat them. (See the children's book Blueberries for Sal. Apparently this is normal.) They encourage sampling at the farm, so I ate a few too. But after putting them in the bucket for a while, I asked Ben if I could taste one of the ones he picked, and he replied, "No daddy, we have to save them for our pie." Shafted! We made a great team. He really put his small frame to use, climbing under the bushes and finding berries the adults couldn't get to. While he was down there, I would go for the ones higher up. We shared a bucket, and he'd pass it over when my hands were full of berries.
     Here's a few photos from the blueberry farm:

3-year-old access to choice berries.

Sweaty boy enjoying a well deserved snowcone.