Berry Picking is Over-Romanticized
Last week the boys and I headed out to Patton Farms in Gooding, ID to pick blackberries. The farm was a quaint family-run operation and I couldn't help but feel at home there. We were welcomed by two little girls, one of which became Jed's new friend. She showed Jed how to pick blackberries and then the two disappeared to play somewhere on the farm. I thought, "This is so much fun!"
And it was a lot of fun, but it was also very hot. And buggy. And itchy. Then Levi decided to have an epic meltdown. So off we trudged back to the car for his sippy cup of water. I brought him back to our row of berry bushes and set him down in the shade with his water. He continued to whine and cry while my nerves frayed and I picked berries as fast as my hands would move. Finally, I began singing; music always seems to calm that boy down. Luckily, it worked. Levi mellowed out enough to let me finish picking three gallons of plump juicy blackberries.
Needless to say, our berry picking experience was a far cry from romantic and happy. I'd say it qualified as a semi-fail. Fortunately, however, the taste of those giant blackberries were definitely worth the effort!
My favorite part of the whole ordeal actually happened a few hours later while prepping the berries at home in the kitchen with Jed. Both Jed and I tied aprons around our waists to protect our clothes. Then we dumped the berries into a sink full of water and gently washed them. I then carefully placed the fragile berries on cookie sheets to flash freeze while Jed enthusiastically snitched away to his heart's content. We also made a batch of freezer jam. Finally, Jed helped me bake an angel food cake. The sense of pride in his attitude and the giant smile on his face made me feel like the best mom on the planet. "I take the cake out of the oven all by myself," he insisted while wearing two oven mittens. He was so cute. I'm so happy we had that special time together.
So I suppose berry picking turned out to be romantic after all, in a mother-son bonding kind of way.
^^Vanilla Greek yogurt + Blackberries. Anyone want to join us for dessert? Or lunch?^^
Gorgeous pictures! Blackberries are my favorite...the perfect amount of tart. I took my son strawberry picking last summer in Georgia. While 36 weeks pregnant. It was not the most enjoyable experience. :)
ReplyDeleteLove your pictures! Yes, I've learned through the years that Lewie's interest in berry picking didn't start until he was about four. Anything before that usually resulted in a full blown meltdown. (That yogurt and blackberry parfait looks delicious. Yummy!)
ReplyDeleteSave some for grandma. It looks soooo go.
ReplyDeleteI have been DYING to take Hailey berry picking for a couple years now. I was actually just looking into it the other day, trying to find a place close to us. I hope we can get out and go this year too!
ReplyDelete