Raspberry Picking

Almost every summer I go raspberry picking with my sister and her kids. We all dutifully stand under the blazing hot sun (it was almost 90° today) and fill our containers — buckets with a rope for the little kids and cardboard flats in some sort of wooden-basket-contraption for the others. You have to squat down, place your face a few inches from the bushes, and get to picking. It is a glorious time — but only get the good berries!

You aren't meant to put any pressure on the berry as you pull it off the bush — it should just slide off into your hand. If you have to tug at all, then just leave it alone. It isn't ready yet. And before you sample any — because you know you will — you may want to blow on them before popping them into your mouth. There are bugs.

I look forward to doing this every summer — even though we missed last year because it was a ridiculously cold summer and, therefore, a miserable (and short) raspberry season. However, there is something to be said for eating things when they are truly in season and truly local. Our plan usually consists of eating so many that we are sick to death of them by the end of the summer. That way we don't mind waiting until next year for more. That's the idea anyway...

Typically we make jam. And typically we do it at my sister's house. The difference this year is that Kari has a three-month-old baby (now completing the jazz band), and I've got Miss Milia. So instead we have decided to stay at home and fend for ourselves. Kari is trying to convince me to make freezer jam because it is supposedly rather simple. We'll see. I do intend to make a few crisps — I am a big fan of Tom Douglas's Peak of Berry Summer Crisp from his Seattle Kitchen cookbook. But I also want to try a raspberry & nectarine crisp. Other than that, I'm still not sure.

Seems that in years past we've eaten so many of them right out of the flat on top of vanilla yogurt in the morning. And since it is 90° degrees with no air conditioning, that doesn't sound half bad right now. Still thinking though...

(Picture taken by Grace Miller.)