Public Service Announcement
In honor of blueberry season – we’ve been picking for three weeks and our big freezer is almost full – I am re-posting last year’s Public Service Announcement.
BLUEBERRY PICKING RULES
I went blueberry picking today. Late-season, late-in-the-afternoon is just the way I love it. The air is still, the rows of bushes straight and beckoning. Blueberry-picking is a serene activity.
I wish that everyone could experience blueberry-picking.
By ‘everyone’ – I don’t mean, like, ‘everyone’ everyone.
I’d like to suggest a few exclusions:
– If you are bound to be loudly disappointed because you remember when the blueberries were bigger, sweeter, firmer, juicier – please don’t come.
– If your children have an attention span under seven minutes and/or you are forced to yell “Stop That!” more than seven times a minute – please don’t come.
– If you have a story to tell that requires multiple uses of the phrases, “So then she goes…” and “So then I go…” – please don’t come.
– If you wish the bushes were closer to the parking lot – please don’t come.
– If your cell phone (let’s just call it your Blackberry, because I can’t resist) rings more than three times in a half-hour – please don’t come.
– If Rover has to participate – and has to poop – please don’t come.
– If you and your loved ones can’t keep track of each other, and you have to shout “Marco”/”Polo” on a regular schedule – please don’t come.
– If you feel the need to smuggle out blueberries in your purse to avoid the weigh-in – please don’t come
– If you shriek when a bee comes within 24 inches of you – please don’t come
– If the ambiance of blueberries compels you to grope your significant other’s private parts – please don’t come.
– If you can’t bear the thought of your kid eating something that has not yet been de-germed – please don’t come.
– If you need to sing more than one stanza of “I Found My Thrill on Blueberry Hill” – please don’t come.
– If, despite the 1,200 bushes available, you still want to pick from the one bush I have chosen – please don’t come.
Other than that –
Everyone’s welcome!
- Posted in: Food ♦ Humor
- Tagged: blueberries, Blueberry Hill, Blueberry Picking
notquiteold 
I loved blueberry picking when I was young. We used to go into the forest for picking and didn’t need to pay or weigh or smuggle. As well, the bushes were so low, you had to squat. 🙂
Like the sketch. 😀 I don’t talk while I pick; I concentrate. Your blueberry bushes are more to my likely these days.
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I love blueberry picking – it’s so peaceful. They were all SO ripe today though we had to share with the bees. They were gorging themselves.
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Mmm. All the blueberry things my mom used to make. Ever have blueberry pancakes?
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Being raised in the Niagara Region, picking berries of all kinds was part of our heritage. These rules weren’t necessary then as it was a way of life. Most of the fruit there now is grapes as it has become quite the “Wine Country” with boutique wineries every other farm.
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I like the fact that you can eat as many as you pick. I don’t think I could drink wine and pick grapes at the same time.
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Blueberry picking is something my daughters and I shared with my friend and cousin before she passed away from breast cancer. It’s a very special time when memories come flooding back. Thank you for this public service announcement. 🙂
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My husband and I both love it – and we have blueberries every morning for breakfast. So we need to pick enough to last all year.
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Congrats on your book. Can’t wait to read it!
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Thanks! I’m thrilled that it is finally out. I hope you like it!
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I thought it was great! Have reviewed on Amazon and Goodreads. Now back to the blueberries…
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Thanks Gabi – your review was fantastic!
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I love this! I love blueberries, but more than that, these do’s and don’ts can be applied to sooooooo many other situations!
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