These days people are looking for more ways to enjoy themselves as a family without spending alot of cash. Gone are the days when the average family can just pick up and head to Disney for the weekend. Nature is once again climbing to the forefront of leisurely things to do. People are flocking to the beaches, minor league and college athletic fields, mountains and campgrounds. They’re staying home and playing cards, Monopoly and horseshoes. it’s my prediction that the depression could actually lead to a healthier and perhaps even happier America.
One great outdoor activity to do as a family is to go blueberry picking and now is the time to go. Blueberries are just beginning to ripen here in the south. The growing season here is from mid-May until about the end of July. It may be a bit longer for the northern states especially Maine which produces about 25 percent of the nations crop.
Some of my fondest memories as a child were not those with my face glued to the television or video game but rather those that were spent outdoors with my family. My father was a diehard beachgoer and he loved taking rides into the country. My grandparents had a home in East Baldwin Maine which is just south of Sebago. It was there that I spent countless hours with my Grandfather. I did everything with him and he never got tired of spending quality time with me. I was his buddy. Every summer he would take me and my sister blueberry picking. We would spend hours combing the rural roadside bushes until we had a quart or two and then we would go home and brag about who got the most or biggest blueberries. We would proceed to clean them and then my grandfather would make us blueberry pancakes the next morning with our harvest. I still to this day say that those were the best pancakes I have ever had.
As I think back now, I realize that this time spent together was like therapy. During the quiet excitement of this activity, we shared what was going on in our lives with my grandfather. I can’t say he offered alot of advice. Rather he was just an open ear without any motives other than to enjoy this solitude as much as we were.
Where to go? Well that is a good question. If you live in the city you will have to travel to a woodsy area. Fortunately for me I live directly behind a brand new development that has all the roads etc. built but very few home thanks to our quiet economy. I can walk through this development as if it were my very own park. The lots are loaded with both highbush and lowbush blueberries. Most every town has a rural or wooded area where blueberries can be found. Another good place to look is an area that was ravaged by forest fire in the recent past as blueberry bushes are fire resistant and actually grow better after a forest fire wipes out competing vegetation. Once you find “your spot” I suggest going. This activity will provide years of memories for you, your children and your grandchildren. And maybe they will continue this tradition with their extended families etc. And as an added benefit you’ll get to enjoy these tasty anti-oxidant packed berries in your pancakes, smoothie or on top of your favorite desert.
One suggestion when picking, is to wear long pants and sleeves. You can get chiggers if you wear shorts while picking. If you choose not to heed my warning and you pick in shorts anyways and end up with chiggers… (These will appear to be huge mosquito bites on the upper thigh area and they itch.) Apply clear nail polish to the welts and the swelling will subside. Continue use of the nail polish and after a few days they will go away altogether.
