2012 Blueberry Season
The Blueberry Nazi declares the 2012 season open. Let the picking begin.
The Blueberry Nazi declares the 2012 season open. Let the picking begin.
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Jan teaches Riley to stitch a bookmark during a Stitching for Literacy outreach program at an Anchorage Public Library.
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Do you handpick, really by fingers and hands? Or do you use berry- picking- devices? And rinse the berry after? Why is your chosen method so efficient (work
best) for you?
Yep, I hand pick, berry by berry by berry. I also remove stems and dried flower remains before the berries go in my bucket. I pick very clean, hence the name “Blueberry Nazi.” I’m not perfect, mind you—an occasional stem or leaf gets in the bucket—but my buckets are exceptionally clean. When I come home, I wash the berries in a colander in a bowl and spread them out on a tray to freeze individually. This takes very little time. Then I pack them in gallon zip bags.
Whether this is efficient is arguable, but I want the berries I use to be stem-, flower-, and leaf-free, and this means going through and picking those things out. I could do that at home standing at the sink with my hands in cold water, or I can do that sitting out in the sun in the tundra, breathing labrador tea-laced air, listening to a story on my mp3 player or thinking fun thoughts. I find the latter option far more appealing. A big part of the fun of berry-picking is being out there on the tundra.
Also, handling the berries after they’ve been piled in a bucket leads to smooshing, so I think my method reduces that messiness as well.
I have cleaned berries picked for me by other people. I don’t enjoy it. I no longer allow anyone to pick berries for me. I have a blanket policy of “You pick ‘em, you keep ‘em.”
I’ve concluded that I get about a quart an hour with my super-picky picking. I think when compared with the time it takes to clean messy berries after they’re picked, this is not so bad.
To each his/her own, though. Of course.
I admit I am a Blueberry Nazi. But that should make you feel good and confident when you eat my blueberry buckle!
It certainly will make me fill good and confident when I eat your blueberry buckle! Save me some!