Berry Snack

One of the best parts of this season on the farm is the sheer volume of berries everywhere. We have 10 different types of berries: blueberries, raspberries, black raspberries, golden raspberries, thornless blackberries, regular blackberries, gooseberries, strawberries, pine berries, tiny weird lil strawberries that taste more strawberry-y than normal strawberries. We also have at least four different types of cherries, numerous apple trees (mostly various crab apples), at least three different plums, elderberries, red currants, several different types of grapes and a mystery berry that looks like a tiny gooseberry but we have yet to determine if they are in fact tiny gooseberries.

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TL;DR: we have a lot of berries.

Which is really quite wonderful when you really love to eat berries.

My favorite evening activity the past two months has been to meander softly and slowly through the garden and just pick whatever berries my heart desires. My house mates have been referring to it as my "berry snack." I usually collect about a pint and then end up consuming the whole thing while we all watch a movie together before bed. It's always quiet save the sounds of hummingbirds squeaking around the property like little fighter jets, fearlessly zipping right past your ear. If it gets late enough you can start to see and hear the bats saving us all from the mosquitos. Squid even likes to come join me and walk the farm, laying in the cool dirt while I stop to pick for awhile.

As berry season is starting to wind down, I'm going to miss my snack stroll. It's been such a wonderful summer so far getting to know the property and what grows where. I've also never lived anywhere with food that just grows all over, and I'm going to miss being able to just walk around and eat all the berries I want. Now I need to learn all the different types of late summer fruits: apples, plums, and the yet to be discovered, and dream of the kiwi berry I am hoping to plant this fall.