Bill is away in NYC almost every week. As a result, he must be selective about how he spends scarce time in Houston, and few opportunities compete with bicycling. But when I learned there were pick-your-own blueberry farms nearby, I knew I had a field trip that would capture Bill’s interest. He LOVES blueberries!
Big, ripe, Texas blueberries
Around here, blueberry season runs from approximately June 1 to July 1. We were too late last season, but I marked it on my calendar this year so we wouldn’t miss it!
Friday afternoon I checked Moorhead’s Farm website and confirmed we were set for Saturday. I invited Sharon to come, too. We got up early, breakfasted, and got ready to go. Before we left, Bill checked the farm site again and was horrified to read the “Friday night update,” which said a horde of people had come and picked nearly all the ripe berries. They advised waiting until the following weekend. Rats!
However, Bill was not to be deterred. (Did I mention that he LOVES blueberries?) He used The Google to find a second blueberry farm nearby, and by 8:20 am, we were off to Chmielewski’s Blueberry Farm.
Just 30 minutes later, we were in the field and picking!
The farm provided buckets and bags for capturing berries
The berry bushes were much bigger than I expected
Sharon has a knack for picking only the ripest berries
Not quite all of Bob’s berries made it into the bucket
As Bill mentioned, there were several families with kidlets. So we took advantage of Bill’s height to reach the top-most branches, and left low-hanging fruit for the little people. Two hours later, our bucket was full, we were hot, tired, and happy, and it was time to come home.
The big question now is what to do with 5 pounds of fresh blueberries? Bill insists that they’ll get eaten as is long before they spoil. But I would love some additional ideas for ways to prepare or store fresh berries. If you have a favorite recipe, will you please share?
Unrelenting heat and minimal rain have combined to turn Houston’s swimming pools into bathtubs.
