Blueberries!!

Okay, so I think I may have discovered my favorite berry picking place, EVER. Seriously-- EVER!! There is a small mom-and-pop farm in the next town over, literally two blocks down the road from where we go to the supermarket. It's owned by an elderly couple, and you drive right past their house to get to the little barn/parking area. And they don't have crazy acreage or anything, but they have this amazing, densely packed area of blueberry bushes that is just insane! You can get lost in there, since the rows are not even clearly delineated in areas. And the bushes are just loaded with huge, sweet berries. But the best part? They were only $2/pound, which is far cheaper than what I can get them for at the supermarket. Even at the wholesale club, it still works out to about $2.50/pound. And hello, picking them is so much more fun! Especially when the old couple that owns the place is super sweet and friendly!

Anyway, we met my friend Jen and her kiddos there this morning to pick berries, and it was a lot of fun! Her kids weren't as into it as mine were, and we beat her by a pound (she picked 2.75 pounds; we picked 3.8 pounds). haha! Really, Maya did most of the work. That girl loves to pick berries! She barely said a word the entire time, and was focused on the task at hand. She calls herself a "Berry Hunter," and I believe it, haha!

But... how about some pictures? I didn't take too many, since I was helping with the picking, but oh well!

Oh, and check out how big some of these berries are! Crazy, right??

I've already made two pints of blueberry jam (yum!!), and am about to make some mini blueberry pies. The farm owners told me that the picking should still be good for another two, maybe three, weeks, so I plan on going back for some more (and maybe dragging my brother and his family along when they visit, hehe!)! My kids can easily consume at least half a pound of blueberries per day. And the price is right! WOOHOO! --------------------------------- Edited to add: Here are the "fruits" of my labor (pun intended!). I ended up making a full-sized pie, and I'm glad I did. It is so unbelievably delicious! The jam is amazing, too! I canned two pints of it, but had a little extra that is currently in a bowl in the refrigerator. And I keep sneaking spoonfuls of it. SO GOOD!!! (pardon the bad picture, though. The jam looks almost black in any light, so it just doesn't photograph well, haha!).