This morning I took my four children to our annual July extravaganza: Blueberry picking! The five of us picked nearly 31 pounds of blueberries, with most of those now resting comfortably in my freezer. My children think blueberry picking is fun; I enjoy it also.
Someone who lives in Florida questioned why I would go out into the heat to pick my own blueberries. That's a good question, and I have several good answers.
1. The weather is beautiful. It is July in Michigan—a far cry from the oppressive humidity of a July day in Florida—and this morning was a particularly beautiful day even by normal standards. Fresh air in the open fields is good for us, no?
2. It's a great activity for the kids. They enjoy it, and it gives them a pleasant taste of the work world. It is good for children to learn how to accomplish tasks and to enjoy the reward of their labor; if they can learn this in an enjoyable environment, so much the better.
3. It's a great activity with the kids. Parents, especially fathers, should spend time with their children. This is a super way to do it.
4. Fresh blueberries are, quite simply, awesome.
5. I'm supporting the local economy, and in Michigan, how can that not be a good thing?
Saturday, July 11, 2009
Michigan Blueberries
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5 comments:
Ken - I'm assuming that it was an unintended pun when you wrote "it gives them a pleasant taste of the work world." I say this because when I went blueberry picking as a kid, I swear I ate more bluberries than I bagged. Same with strawberries, raspberries, etc. Those were *good* days...
No, blogprof, it was intended.
I do have to set some guidelines ahead of time, however, on the "picking to eating" ratio.
Couldn't you take to pick apples, pears, strawberries or something tasty?
Peter: We got the strawberries last month. Apples come later in the year, I believe. As for pears, I'm not aware of any local opportunities to pick those.
Quite seriously, I think this was the best batch of blueberries I've ever picked. We are definitely going back to Fritz Blueberries (that's on 44th St., off M-43 just north of Paw Paw) next year!
Eating... I mean picking blueberries. Man, I haven't been in years but now I can taste them.
Used to bag those up by the thousands and freeze them. Awesome frozen on a hot summer day.
Geez. Sudden, unshakable craving. Thanks for that.
--Nick
www.RightMichigan.com
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