Blueberry Picking

Last Wednesday, we drove with a group of friends nearly an hour out to Tammen Treeberry Farm to pick some delicious blueberries. We have been twice before and knew what to expect. I always get really excited to do this. My kids...not so much. I absolutely LOVE blueberries and look forward to the opportunity to pick my own so that they are at their absolute freshest. I also LOVE the price $1.85/lb. In the past, it's been miserably hot, the bushes picked-over, the branches prickly, and my kids whiney. :) This year proved a bit better. The weather was perfect. I didn't have to nurse or change a diaper while in the rows of bushes (a first), and I thought I had 4 kids old enough to help. Well, Braxton was a champ. When asked to help me, he often responds with, "I was made to work, Mom." Wow! Can I clone him? Evan hates blueberries and was not very motivated to pick. Carter tried his hardest. Emma found some friends and played while she snacked. Lizzie found it fun and easy to eat the freshly picked berries out of our buckets. Near the end I was having to push by saying, "Pick 50 more and you can quit." In the end, we picked our record--11.2 lbs! A quarter of them are nearly gone already. Fortunately, the farm has a fun swing, sandbox, and slide. We also got to listen to a fun book on CD while riding in the car (Room One by Andrew Clements), which made that time go by quickly. I hope to do it again next year and hope as my children age, they'll enjoy this tasty tradition.