It's berry season! Last week we went and picked berries at Charlotte's Blueberry Patch and then on Sunday we went hiking with Dan's parents and there were huckleberry bushes lining the entire hike! We filled two gatorade bottles, a water bottle and started filling another water bottle! I really want to go out and pick some apples and blackberries before the season is over, and I'm definitely going back for another batch of blueberries at Charlotte's Patch. It's so awesome to be able to reap the benefits of nature's bounty! I still have frozen pumpkin puree in our freezer from last fall's pumpkin harvest. I guess I'll be extra prepared for this fall, eh? I've actually never had huckleberries before, so I'm not sure of what to do with them (besides the obvious: make a pie). I'd love to make a cocktail with them, but I definitely have enough to make something else. Do you guys have any favorite huckleberry treats?
With Dan's new job, we have to be more intentional about hanging out. We used to be able to just chill out in the mornings and spend our time together before he went to work, so now with his more "typical" job schedule he's out the door super early and goes to bed pretty early, so our time to hang out is more limited. It definitely makes us think about spending time together differently. This trip to go pick blueberries was a nice little quasi-date. Getting out of the house and spending time together while not having to spend any money is like the holy grail of dates. I love berry picking because it's such a relaxing activity that lets you have great conversation while simultaneously being productive and getting some amazing, tasty berries! Do you guys have any u-pick berry farms or hidden berry gems in your neck of the woods? Blackberries grow like crazy in this part of Washington it seems, and I was so excited when I discovered the free blueberry park run by Tacoma's Metro Parks. I know there are also lots of paid u-pick farms, and even though you have to pay for what you pick it generally seems more affordable than buying from the grocery store. The best part is that you get to eat as many berries as you want as you're picking. At the end of our Huckleberry hike on Sunday we all had berry-stained fingers and bellies full of nature's goodness!
