That’s our pal Erik holding the perfect blueberry. He wrestled it from a gang of pre-schoolers and one very ferocious German shepherd at Land’s Sake Farm in Weston. There was some serious competition in the pick-your-own fields this afternoon. But it was a glorious Sunday in summer and it is *the* blueberry moment.
Which is to say, if you want to get your hands on a lot of berries — perhaps with an idea of putting some up for winter — now is the time. Land’s Sake is a lovely venue for this, and only 20 minutes from the city.
Maybe go on a weekday. And try to overlook the irony, like we did, that you are actually paying more for the experience of picking your own than you would if your purchased the same quantity of berries from your local farmers’ market. ($5/pint) Our pick-your-own berries came with the extra bonus poison ivy exposure, so it was totally worth it. (There’s kind of a lot of poison ivy at Land’s Sake, but you can avoid if you’re paying attention… and not hungover.)
So tonight, just as we did precisely this time last year: we rinsed our haul (five pints). Spread them out on cookie sheets, on a layer of a wax paper. Popped them, in turns, in the freezer for about an hour until they were good and hard. Then into ziploc bags. And there they will stay until the world turns cold and bleak and horrible again.