Berries!!!!!!!!
Ah, summertime in Maine! One of my favorite things about this time of year (and the rest of the season) has always been berry picking. Sure, berries are tasty, and you can find them year-round, but there's something special about eating the berries that you know you just picked yourself. Getting out early in the morning while the sun is still low in the sky; hoping to get to that spot before anyone else can take advantage of the fragrant, colorful bounty that lies before you; tasting that first ripe, sweet morsel straight off the bush; that's what summer berries are all about.
There are many different ways you can acquire your berries in Maine (and anywhere else they grow for that matter). The easiest, I suppose, is to stop by one of the many stands, trucks, and front yards where people sell their fresh picked berries by the quart. These days they seem to be everywhere! Better yet, the prices are easily half what you pay at the supermarket, and you're getting berries that are well above the quality you'd find there! Of course, you can go to a farm; strawberries and blueberries are the most abundant cultivated crops. I suppose there are cultivated raspberries and blackberries, but I've never seen a place that sells those (actually, when I was a kid we found some blackberries at Blueberry Hill. We picked about a pint and asked what they cost--they said they were free, and if we wanted we could even take the plants!). Then again, there are many more people who prefer to pick quietly in the spots they've staked out themselves of truly wild berries. Sometimes those are the sweetest kinds!
Regardless of how you find your berries; once you have them, what shall you do? There are tons of ways to enjoy fresh summer berries. I won't have any recipes for you tonight, but then again, you won't need them for what I'm giving you!
Straight Up: There's nothing like eating your berries straight from the basket. Most of them don't even need sugar...but if they aren't quite at their prime, slice them up (or just rinse if they're not strawberries) and mix with a bit of sugar.
Topped: Add some whipped cream
Shortake, cobbler, and crisp: A few more calories, but worth the taste!
Jams and Jellies: enjoy your summer tastes all year long!
Happy berry picking everyone!
There are many different ways you can acquire your berries in Maine (and anywhere else they grow for that matter). The easiest, I suppose, is to stop by one of the many stands, trucks, and front yards where people sell their fresh picked berries by the quart. These days they seem to be everywhere! Better yet, the prices are easily half what you pay at the supermarket, and you're getting berries that are well above the quality you'd find there! Of course, you can go to a farm; strawberries and blueberries are the most abundant cultivated crops. I suppose there are cultivated raspberries and blackberries, but I've never seen a place that sells those (actually, when I was a kid we found some blackberries at Blueberry Hill. We picked about a pint and asked what they cost--they said they were free, and if we wanted we could even take the plants!). Then again, there are many more people who prefer to pick quietly in the spots they've staked out themselves of truly wild berries. Sometimes those are the sweetest kinds!
Regardless of how you find your berries; once you have them, what shall you do? There are tons of ways to enjoy fresh summer berries. I won't have any recipes for you tonight, but then again, you won't need them for what I'm giving you!
Straight Up: There's nothing like eating your berries straight from the basket. Most of them don't even need sugar...but if they aren't quite at their prime, slice them up (or just rinse if they're not strawberries) and mix with a bit of sugar.
Topped: Add some whipped cream
Shortake, cobbler, and crisp: A few more calories, but worth the taste!
Jams and Jellies: enjoy your summer tastes all year long!
Happy berry picking everyone!