Blueberries in July: Carolina Mountain Pickings

What’s not to love about plump, juicy blueberries? They are a favorite food of many people! Different varieties ripen in an assortment of hues, from almost black to a pretty cornflower blue.

Their flowers make marvelous honey, and their plants provide summer food for people and animals. They are a beautiful subject for artwork, and a good part of my kitchen decor is taken up with these awesome berries.

Waiting on blueberry season is the hardest part of springtime. Summer has to come and do its work on the plants. Then they have to ripen to perfection.

Anticipating summer is almost too much to bear, but before we know it, we're in our old blue jeans and off picking blueberries in the mountains, looking forward to the foods we will enjoy them with and in!

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Blueberry season is a busy and interesting time at our house. Blessed to live near an organic farm so we can take advantage of premium berries at their peak every July, we are serious about fresh blueberries.

We like to freeze as many as possible to use for baking, for salads, and in lemonade. So far this year, we’ve put up 82 cups, as well as having eaten and shared a good bit more.

Having flexible schedules means that we can go out to the patch during their least busy times. Being there when no one else is around is an intense contrast to the rest of life.

A covey of quail let my husband see them one day last week, and we often hear turkey in the distance. Mornings we deal with small birds swooping our heads if we get too close to a nest and evenings are loud with in sync chirps and croaks.

Blueberries in July bring their own special delights and experiences with their arrival!

However, we don’t always get the patch to ourselves. Sometimes being out there can be an insightful experience with human nature. I’ve decided that every personality and character likes blueberries, but I can’t say I understand the thinking behind all of their behaviors.

Families with children can be very interesting. Some parents just let their little ones run wild, others teach their children to respect the farmer’s plants and crops, and to respect other people who are picking. They teach them how to pick ripe berries, and they spend time talking with them while they pick together.

One day we were alone except for two very young men. They were young enough to be talking about what they experienced in elementary school, but old enough to be interested in jobs with a future. They had been picking for some time and had stashes every few rows. When they returned to the area we were starting on we teased them about picking for us, and quickly learned which of the two was the leader.

He was teaching the other how to pick the best berries, as well as leading in the conversations they had. Some of it was typical boy stuff and such, part of it was an effort to examine political issues. I was saddened to hear their coarse, even vulgar language, partly because it was an indication that the potential they obviously had was being squandered.

My husband was about a half-acre away and I might have told them that as a mom I would appreciate it if they would restrain their language, but their conversation turned to knives and other weapons. They discussed who Jack the Ripper might have been with an interest that motivated me to simply move away. I wasn’t really afraid, lots of people discuss who J.t.R. was, but since I didn’t know these guys I decided not to chance provoking them.

Another day there was a group of women already picking when we arrived. Excited about how fruitful the plants are this year, a particularly loud one finally announced that her belly was full and her basket was full so it was time to go. I couldn’t help myself and told my husband in a not too loud voice, “I wouldn’t be announcing that fact.” Sure enough, when I looked through the bushes, she had a big belly. One just has to shake one’s head at the thinking behind some attitudes.

The owners of this blueberry farm have told us some unbelievable stories about the kinds of things people have done. Besides late freezes, hail storms, and wildlife making crop success iffy business, the thievery that these good people have to put up with is astounding. Everyone expects to taste a berry or two from a row of bushes, but sometimes people will come in and make their visit a meal, then leave without paying for even one basket of berries.

We’re thankful to be able to enjoy the fruits of the owners’ labors, and are glad to pay to for the privilege of picking at their organic farm. It is dreadful to see and hear about the difficulties they have, though, because it could mean that one day they will say enough is enough, and decide it’s time to close their doors to the public.

Well, all that rambling about picking blueberries in July brings me to this news. I’ll be posting two cow milk free blueberry recipes as soon as my latest experiment comes out of the oven and I'm certain it is as good as expected.

You might like to plan on whipping one up and settling in with your favorite little person to watch the video next to this paragraph while you enjoy blueberry smiles together. This video is a timeless story!

One of the recipes is a new one that I’ve just developed, thanks to reading some blueberry muffin recipes on Hubpages. The other is an easy cobbler using mountain blueberries.

Developing foods with good for us ingredients makes picking berries and working on new recipes well-worth the time it takes!

Now though, I need to start some decaf...

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