Country Afternoon

"The berries are ripe. Did you want to come and pick?"

My sister, Suzanne, lives on a farm in Auburn Township, out Geauga County way. When she and her husband bought the old farm house back in the 90's, they inherited a prolific patch of several dozen blueberry bushes. Suzy takes loving care of the berry patch, weeding, mulching, treating the bushes with organic pest repellent, and protecting the crop from the birds and other creatures who would greedily harvest the blueberries themselves.

Berry picking, although therapeutic when working solo, is best when engaged in as a social activity. So I called my brother David, and four of us, David, Suzanne, my nephew Ryan, and I, spent a perfect July afternoon amongst the bushes; picking, tasting, talking, and laughing. That evening, I brought home a few pounds of blueberries in a huge Tupperware bowl. There are lots to eat fresh and plenty still to freeze. Now, I think I'll get back to looking up recipes.