My brother was between appointments and visiting, July 4th, so we took him blueberry picking with us. I couldn't remember having ever picked blueberries before. He said we had two bushes by the pond when we were kids but teased: he wasn't surprised I don't remember; picking blueberries was probably just one more responsibility he had, growing up, that I didn't. (There may be some truth to this, but at the same time, if my brother ever scrubbed a toilet or tub at our parents', it was only after I'd left for college.)
What I remember very well, I told him, is a particular day of blackberry picking. The five of us (my parents had guardianship of another young man during these years) piled into Dad's brown Jeep and drove deep into the mountains on a dirt road in search of blackberries. We came upon a mighty patch of blackberries and, in no time, filled our buckets and even the console of the Jeep. Still, the bushes were dotted with gobs of ripe berries.
All five of us hated the thought of leaving the berries behind to rot when, instead, Mom could be folding them into bright, delectable cobblers, but what could we do? We were too far from home (or civilization, in general) to leave and return with more containers.
Just then, Dad said enthusiastically: "I have an idea! If B.R. (Thats me!) takes off and lets us fill her bra, we'll be able to take the rest of these berries with us and any others we might find, too!" Of course, my brothers hooted and hollered, and I can assure you that--while I see the humor in the situation, now--I was mortified, as a young teenager.
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Whether you have blueberries or blackberries, I recommend baking Christina's Somethin' or Other. (She calls it a cobbler, but it's more like a crisp, in my humble opinion, because it doesn't involve dough.) I doubled her recipe, which made enough to fill one 9x13 dish and one 8x8 dish. I used blueberries/walnuts instead of blackberries/pecans.
I made a pie, also, using Betsy Groff's recipe for basic pie dough and this recipe, from Allrecipes.com, for the filling.
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| The Pie (I didn't photograph the Somethin' or Other!) |
One of my favorite berry picking stories is when I was about six and lived in Michigan. Our family had gone berry picking, and my little sister who was two, decided to take a nap on the trail. We saw her, but walked around her and just continued to pick. When our buckets were full and it was time to leave, my dad reached down and noticed she was lying in the middle of a cluster of bear prints.
ReplyDeleteAlso, because now I'm on a berry roll...do you remember Blue Berries for Sal? Love that book!
That is one CRAZY story, Amy Sullivan! The Lord had his hand upon your sister, for sure!
DeleteI didn't read Blueberries for Sal as a child. Learned about it in children's lit. Marveled at its fame considering the simplicity of the illustrations, which have very little color.
Brandee,
ReplyDeleteLoved this story! The bra bit was hilarious, to say the least. My grandparents owned land, so we picked berries until our hearts were content.
I have wonderful memories of picking blackberries with my Aunt when I was a little girl. She and I would just take off. She loved going down old dirt roads not knowing where they would lead but we always found blackberries. We picked many and then would go back to her apartment and make blackberry jam. I also remember the ticks, mosquitos, stickers and occasional snake, but it was all worth it to be out with my favorite aunt and have her all to myself. Fun days! :)
ReplyDeleteI have wonderful memories of picking blackberries with my Aunt when I was a little girl. She and I would just take off. She loved going down old dirt roads not knowing where they would lead but we always found blackberries. We picked many and then would go back to her apartment and make blackberry jam. I also remember the ticks, mosquitos, stickers and occasional snake, but it was all worth it to be out with my favorite aunt and have her all to myself. Fun days! :)
ReplyDeleteGreat memory, I think it is funny too...and that pie, yum, looks amazing
ReplyDeleteYour pictures make me hungry for pie!! Oh yum! I remember walking across the street from my childhood home with my brother when we were young and picking blackberries. They were the best, and it was something we did together! Which was very unusual, bc he was six years older than me and WAY too cool to be seen with his little sis ;)
ReplyDeleteYou won my giveaway of the 90 days of kids devo's I was giving away from Adventures in Odyssey at my blog aleciasimersky.com!! Congrats, if you email me your address I will get that sent out to you! asimersky@gmail.com. Thanks for commenting!