Blueberry Adventure

I was just in the garden picking the first fruits from our new blueberry bushes. For years we couldn't grow them here as they require more cold days than we have. Finally some hybrids have been developed for our area and, if our first taste was any judge, they will be much better than those we can buy in the stores. It reminded me of a time when I was young and we went on a fishing expedition deep in the forests. The weather that weekend was glorious and the spot they chose to leave the van was heavenly. A small meadow surrounded by trees. While my dad was fishing, our mom decided we should explore the woods. The trees were mostly firs and left the forest floor nice and shady,and was cushioned by fallen needles. There were occasional small bushes scattered here and there. We came to an open area and to our surprise discovered wild blueberries. Now wild blueberries are not like the ones you buy in the store. They are much smaller and extremely sweet and the parent plant is more like a vine on the ground than a bush. We ran back to the cars and grabbed anything we could to put them in. Back to the berry patch we went and, on our hands and knees, began picking the luscious fruit. All was quiet as busy hands plucked berries. Then we heard a rustling coming from the forest. Mom looked up and indicated that we should be very quiet and there, standing up, was the biggest brown bear I'd ever seen!! We grabbed our pails and quickly and quietly left the berry patch for the bear.

When we got back to the van we all got inside and locked the doors in case the bear decided to follow us. After a time we got out of the van since there was no bear in sight. I can only assume that he loved blueberries as much as we did and was too busy feasting to give any thought to us. We were quite satisfied with our spoils and all had a tasty afternoon snack.

It sure has been a while since I posted!  Daily chores seem to take a lot more time these days.  Gluten free eating is finally routine!  Gluten is found in so many processed foods that I read every label when shopping.  It truly is amazing what is in a lot of processed foods!  A lot of ingredients are to preservatives and some maintain the texture and color we expect. 

Speaking of preserving, it is spring and the chicks have grown a bit.  When I was young, this was the time that the farmers were culling the flocks and selling the roosters.  Mom used to buy them in bulk for canning.  I think that she didn't have to remove the feathers - thank goodness - as that is a tedious task.  She would get out the canning jars to be washed and buy new seals.  If memory serves she didn't use the pressure cooker for canning but a large canning pot.  She sterilized the jars in boiling water and lined them up on the counter.  Salted water covered the chicken in the jar then the seal and bands were tightened.  The complete cans were put in a rack in the water bath canning pot.  The water would be brought to a boil and then the timer would go on.  As to exact times, I don't remember but the chicken was always good and an easy way to save the spring excess for winter.  We also took the chicken on camping trips and we had a protein for dinner if Dad didn't catch a fish.

Before freezers were readily available, Mom used to can a lot!  Dad always had a huge garden so there was an excess of produce to put up for the winter.  Beans, peas, raspberries, carrots.  Potatoes and cabbages were kept in the root cellar and they stayed pretty tasty for most of the winter.  Imagine all our vegetables and fruits for the winter coming from Mom's shelves of canned goods.  Don't forget jams and jellies.  Whenever I am feeling sorry for myself as I must do my own baking, I remember the hot summer days with the caning pot boiling away and pull myself up by the boot straps and get on with the task.