Tuesday, June 29, 2010

It's Blueberry Time!!

I’ve been watching and waiting for the “Blueberries” sign to go up at the corner of Spring and Hightower in Social Circle, pointing the way to Hard Labor Creek Blueberry Farm. The date has been circled on my calendar for at least two months – June 26 – so I knew that the farm was scheduled to open this past week-end. Seeing the sign was all the assurance I needed that the day had finally arrived!

I couldn’t go on opening day, and it just about killed me knowing that other people were getting my blueberries. I wasn’t generous at all in my thoughts, even though I knew there would be plenty of blueberries for everyone, as well as for all of the birds and deer. I thought about blueberries all day long.

“They’re as big as grapefruits!” proclaimed a friend when I asked her if she’d been to the farm yet. Her husband quickly corrected her exaggeration, stating, “There are some the size of quarters – big, juicy, and sweet.”

O.K. I had to wait, and without a lot of patience. The farm is closed on Sundays, so I spent the next day dreaming about blueberries ripening in the summer sun, waiting, like me, for Monday morning.

I awakened early Monday before dawn, with you-know-what on my mind. I waited as long as I possibly could, at least until sunrise, since the farm opens at dawn. I watched the sky brighten with the new day, and at 7:30 am, I was in my car driving the six miles to the blueberry farm.

I wasn’t the first person there. Two cars ware already parked in the field. I hopped out of my car, grabbed a couple of buckets, selected the row I wanted to pick from, and began my blueberry quest. The birds chirped their welcome (or was it a warning?) from the trees as I meandered my way down the row picking my berries. It was quiet and peaceful, and my thoughts drifted as I made my way from tree to tree selecting the most beautiful blueberries I was sure I'd ever seen. Grapefruit-sized berries eluded me - but I found lots and lots of luscious berries, ranging from pea-sized to the size of a big shooter marble. I was a happy girl, picking blueberries, listening to the birds, and dreaming of bowls of fresh berries and homemade preserves to feast on all summer long.

With my two buckets filled to the brim, I reluctantly left the blueberry field to pay for my morning’s bounty. By this time, I was excited about getting home, dividing out my berries to give some away, making preserves and syrup, and nibbling on fresh berries the rest of the day.

Let’s see – when will I go back? As soon as I have a couple of hours to spare. There are still more blueberries out there waiting for me!

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