What Summer Brings

Summer has finally come to our little town here in Oregon. It is well worth the wait! First we went to pick these in late June:

My youngest used these fresh picked Oregon Strawberries to make homemade jam, which she will be entering at the county fair at the end of July. She had extras, which we gladly ate, but we picked so many that we needed to freeze some–will make wonderful milkshakes 🙂 These are the best tasting berries!! Sweeter than any store bought strawberries!!

We couldn’t resist these, which were the next crop to ripen at one of our favorite local farms (less than 10 minute drive):

We ate these in smoothies and on top of vanilla ice cream (yum!), as well as just ate them all by themselves.Raspberries grow wild and can be found just about everywhere in town. Many bike/walking trails in our town have them lining the paths.

Mid July has brought our most favorite: Oregon Blueberries!!

We own several blueberry bushes. My son has been watching them all summer. He kept saying, “Not yet. They need a couple more days.” Well, he was right on. Yesterday, we picked so many that we were able to freeze 6- 8 cups worth, make blueberry cobbler for our family, and our favorite: blueberry pancakes, for several days.

Our bushes have a bunch that are almost ripe, and lots of green berries that will keep us with a nice,  fresh blueberry supply. My kids love picking berries, especially blueberries. They still quote and imitate Sal from one of our favorite children’s books, “Blueberries for Sal” by Robert McCloskey, eating all of the berries in their buckets.  Fresh, organic, and homegrown–straight from the garden blueberries taste like nothing we could get living in California. Ah, but they have all the avocados, don’t they?

A family tradition of berry picking has always been a favorite. We love living in Oregon for many reasons: lack of urban sprawl, clean air (our town was voted one of the top ten green cities in the US!), and fresh farm grown foods all around us. Some are found right in our garden. Cherries are next to ripen in our backyard 🙂

This is what summer means in Oregon to us. If you have never gone berry picking–do so now! The fruit is so much sweeter and more flavorful than anything you can buy at the store. The difference is amazing.

What are some of your favorite summertime activities or traditions?

~Erin