Today we picked blueberries in an undisclosed location. This year, the berries are everywhere and bigger than I've ever seen. I think the combo of 2 weeks of rain followed by a month of hot, dry weather produced this windfall of berries. Right now there are lowbush cranberries, wild raspberries and blueberries all ripe and ready for the picking.
Ready for the freezer.
In 2 hours, I picked almost a 1/2 gallon of blues. At home, I covered a cookie sheet with wet paper towel and poured one layer of berries across it. I rolled the berries and most of the stems, leaves and brown ends stuck to the wet paper. Using a spoon, I moved the cleaned berries to a gallon sized freezer bag. Some people freeze the berries spread on cookie sheets and then pour them into a baggie, but I don't have room in my side-by-side freezer. We'll use the berries in pancakes, muffins, and as a topping. Other friends use it to make cobbler, custard pie, akutaq (Eskimo ice cream), syrup and liqueur.
I'll be working at the Fair this year as a night relief cashier. I like cashiering at the Fair because I get to see lots of my friends and/or former students and their families as well as staying very busy right before school starts. Even though I'm retired, like the tides, I feel a strong cosmic pull this time of year.
Annette, the Fair general manager, said that this year's fair was almost canceled due to the huge financial loss from last year's rainy fair. Instead, they decided to have it anyway, but to only have local entertainment and to get rid of lots of bells and whistles and to focus on the traditional favorites- contests, exhibits, local entertainment, vendors and rides. The Fair is from August 7-15. Goody, goody- cream puffs, falafel and quilts.
GarageMan and other thru-hikers at Green Mountain Hostel.
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