Are We Walking to Alaska

Are We Walking to Alaska
Are We Walking to Alaska - A True Story

Friday, June 17, 2016

Berries

It is the season of berries in NW Washington State.
Wild Blackberries (Himalaya Berries - escaped from Luther Burbank's experiments in Southern Calfornia) carpet the countryside.
This appears to be a good year, with massive amounts of blossoms
And some berries already forming


They will gobble up your farm
 Or your house
Until it is all gone


When they ripen there are big hanging clusters to enjoy right off the vine or to take home and make pies, cobblers and jam - or to top a big bowl of ice cream.  We often have a bowl of berries sitting on the baking island for snacking as we pass by.
We also have Blueberries here - though they are not wild.  There are almost 1000 acres growing Blueberies in our county - with an annual yield of close to 5 million pounds of berries.

 They grow in large clusters - on bushes up to 6 feet tall - making U-Pick plots a favorite with individual berry pickers - and if you pick your own they cost about 2.00 a pound.

 They grow so big and juicy - nearly the size of a quarter - makes picking go much faster.
 I even have a Blueberry  teapot-for-one - made by a wonderful Russian potter - she sells her Blueberry pottery at a local berry stand.  I think my next purchase will be a Blueberry pie plate.
Pies, cobblers, and muffins - what a glorious harvest!

Just wait until these are big, fat ripe berries.


13 comments:

Debra She Who Seeks said...

I bet all those wild berries attract a lot of bears.

eileeninmd said...

Hello, the berries all look delicious. I can see pies, cobblers and ice cream, YUM! Happy Friday, enjoy your weekend!

Rowan said...

Blackberries are only just starting to flower here but it's so wet at the moment that I'm wondering whether they will set. As fir blueberries - I absolutely love them:)

Small City Scenes said...

Oh yummy, JoAnne. You are right it does look like a bumper crop around here. We also have Thornless Blackberries that we grow plus blueberries and Gooseberries---oh yeah don't forget huckleberries out in the woods. MMMmmmm you are making my mouth water.........
MB

Tom said...

look at the size of those blueberries!

Michelle said...

We have wild blackberries here at our farm. And, you are right, they will take over everything!

Lowcarb team member said...

I just love berries, especially enjoyed with double (heavy) cream.
Yum!

All the best Jan

Amy at love made my home said...

Lots of wonderful berries! That is a massive blueberry isn't it!

Powell River Books said...

Our blackberries along the roads look like they will have a great crop come late July. I can't believe my new blueberry bushes are starting to ripen already. They are tiny plants, but they are loaded with berries. - Margy

J said...

I'm blown away by the quarter-size of those berries! Seriously, you have a bounty of everything good in your part of the country!

betty-NZ said...

I had to google Mr Burbank and found him to be quite a unique guy! Love your photos. The blossoms are just gorgeous.

Kay said...

It looks like a banner berry year in your area. I can't remember ever seeing blackberry bushes with so many blossoms! And I didn't know you grew so many blueberries in your region, too. Wow! I hope to get to our local u-pick tomorrow to see how the raspberries are doing here. I blinked and missed the strawberries.

Carla said...

Wow I don't think I've ever seen that many vines of wild blackberries and I know I've never seen blueberries that big! The looks tasty