Blueberry picking

Chapter 2 in our adventures yesterday was a trip to my friend Carey’s house about 45 minutes south of Columbus – a beautiful rural property, in the middle of nowhere really. On it are some mature blueberry bushes that hit their peak this week, so Carey welcomed us down for some blueberry picking. The sun was hot but it was a wonderful experience, stretching up and down and into those giant bushes – which offer none of the thorny prickles of blackberry bushes – and plucking plump juicy berries for our bucket – or occasionally, our mouth. Three-month-old Curran slept through the picking and Owen watched from a stroller for several patient minutes. But once he got restless, he and I got to discover the joy of berry picking together. He seemed to have an eye for the biggest juiciest berries and he popped quite a few in his mouth. It was wonderful being out there with no roads or people, listening to the cicadas and foraging, all of us together, for such delicious little treats.

We also got to snatch a few zucchini, cucumbers and tomatoes from Carey and Brant’s garden, which is just about the most beautiful little home vegetable garden on the planet. The center is planted in wagon-wheel spokes with flowers and herbs at the heart – and a profusion of produce all around: watermelon, cantaloupe, zucchini, squash, cucumbers, Japanese eggplant, green beans, bell peppers, and tomatoes of all varieties and sizes. All of it very inspiring for a wanna-be gardener like me.