Sunday, May 30, 2010

Sweating in purple

We have been picking berries for about 4-5 weeks, sweating, itching, wiping bloody scratches on our hands, ants attacking us at every turn.

During the last week  of picking I had begun to think that as a modern  40- 50 hour a week working woman, I should just get over this pioneer thing and buy some berries. Berries that would be all cleaned and prettied up (and much larger) at the local Walmart produce section. (my o my, what chemical therapy can do for fruit!)

Well, this morning, a beautiful sunny Sunday, I got up early, started the coffee, and made soft scrambled eggs with small flaky biscuits. I then spread the the biscuits with real butter and of course....blackberry-mulberry jelly.  Jelly from those hard-won, 80 to 90 degree temperatured days , buggie, humid as hell, lookin for snakes everywhere, berries.
It was etheral, magical......
Purple, spreading softly, dark and rich, the ultimate fresh berry taste that can only come from unspoiled, no chemical enhancement,  naturally beautiful, from your own land.. fruit. 
If you are thinking that its too much trouble to grow and pick your own produce......... think again, and again.

Don't you love summer?

Today we make pesto. YEA!!!!

5 comments:

Wear Your Wild said...

I agree! There's nothing better than homegrown/homemade preserves and food in general. Even though I get chiggers when I pick berries, it is well worth it. Do you have chiggers down your way?

Comfrey Cottages said...

never too much trouble to harvest with our own hands:) i love the quiet time of harvest but.... heat and i aren't best friends, and i don't want to step on a snake either. lol got to harvest whatever we can, wherever we can though as it always so much better for us and tasting than the walmart chemical ones. i need to catch up and see if you are posting again:) been a slacker what with spring. "hugs"

sunflowerherbfarm said...

yep, we have chiggers. we put on long sock, tuck the pants into our boots and put large rubber bands on our pants legs. it helps.

sunflowerherbfarm said...

me too, haven't been posting much. today i am harvesting the thyme, oregano, balms, mints, lemon verbena and more yarrow. hot work but so, so worth it. i lose track of time when working, but it brings me peace, and fills my mind with the love of green things. oh how much I love the earth.

Comfrey Cottages said...

oh me too hon! she always calms me right down and helps me center:)