BLUEBERRIES

I was finally able to visit my blueberry bush today.  It was a long time coming, had been planned for at least 3 separate occasions prior to today in the past 2 weeks, and had to be rescheduled each time.  Work, sick dog, sick Angie, work.  As the season is nearing its end, it was really becoming do or die (or live without fresh blueberries from my very own *rented* blueberry bush)!  Approximately 4 1/2 hours in the car, roundtrip, and 1 hour of picking blueberries on a sporadically rainy Saturday, and I have 12 lbs of blueberries in my kitchen awaiting their fate.  Muffin, smoothie, freezer, cobbler, pie, glaze for salmon, or plain old eating straight out of the refrigerator.  Either way, I tell you, these are the BEST berries I have ever tasted!!  Joe's Blues, Moss Fennel Farms, Bangor MI.  YUM!!  Highly recommended if any of you ever find yourself in the market for a blueberry bush for a season or fresh berries shipped to you from Michigan.  Wonderful people, wonderful farming practices, wonderful berries.  Visit them!  Special thanks to the wonderful woman working there who took pity on my poor amateur-picking self and helped me pick berries in the rain.  I was the only visitor to the farm during the hour I was there today.  I'm guessing it was the rainy weather. But ... when you come all the way from Chicago, you absolutely tough it out and pick the berries you came for!

Pics of the farm, my blueberry bush and the absolutely delightfully delicious (& VERY good for you!!) blueberries!!

blueberries

Last week, I got the crazy idea to rent a blueberry bush.  It seemed like a great summer adventure.  My blueberry bush is on a green farm in Michigan, Moss Funnel Farms, about 3 hours from Chicago, and as of last Thursday, it bears my name.  I'm so excited to go pick blueberries, I've been telling EVERYONE.  I talk about it daily.  No joke.  Thankfully, Megan, who co-owns the blueberry bush with me, shares my excitement.  She might be the only one who doesn't think I am crazy!  As of now, July 28 is the first day we will make a trip to the farm to visit our little blueberry bush and pick berries.  Blueberry picking outfits are definitely in order.  Mostly likely a floppy hat and something that I don't care if it is stained blue.  For some reason, I am picturing Megan and I covered in purplish-blue spots by the end of it.  Good thing the inside of my car is black!  There will be lots of laughs and plenty of pictures from the adventure, and we're already dreaming up all the things we can make with our blueberries.  Pie, cobbler, jam, muffins ... YUM!!  I'm preparing my kitchen for Blueberry Festival 2010.  It may call for covering the walls and floors in plastic.  We'll see how this year goes, we might be on to something ...  Either way, I have a hunch I'll be making a second trip in August!

As a sidenote, this will also be Megan's first trip to Michigan, an event worthy of documentation even without the blueberries!