Blueberries

The kids, some friends, and I drove out to the country (because we live in such a big city) and picked some blueberries and raspberries today. Last year was our first year to pick raspberries, and this was our first year to pick blueberries. I must say that I loved picking blueberries. They come off the bush so easy and it takes hardly anytime to fill your bucket. I talked myself into twice as many blueberries as I had originally planned because I was just enjoying myself so much.

The raspberries are another story. I love raspberries, don't get me wrong, but they are expensive to buy in the stores because they are a pain in the derriere to pick. Seriously. The crops for fruit are not so great here in New England this year. A couple wicked ice storms, some hail, and lots of rain this past year didn't help them one little bit. The raspberries were smaller this year and are few and far between. Can't win 'em all I suppose. Maybe the fall raspberries will be better.

Thanks to my two darling youngest children I HAD to make blueberry jam tonight. I thought by placing the blueberries in the very back of our mini van while we picked raspberries would keep them safe from five little sets of feet, but I was surely wrong. Over the back seat they climbed and smashed three of the four bags of blueberries back there. You would think that accidently stepping in them once would make them ponder what in the world could be so squishy squashy beneath their toes, but no, the thought never crossed their busy "I'm having tons of fun with my friends" little minds. Well, bless their little hearts (not the original thought that crossed my frustrated mind) because now I have my canning done. Certainly I would not have canned jam tonight if it weren't for them standing on my blueberries.