We have one small blueberry bush in our yard and my three boys have watched that bush for months, anticipating the sweet berries it produces. We were gone for 2 days this week and the minute we pulled into the yard, they raced across the lawn stopping at nothing and for no one in the hopes of a snack. As I puttered unloading the vehicle I heard a holler across the yard, “We found one! There’s one purple berry!!” 3 boys and 1 blueberry I thought. Fantastic. What could go wrong. No fights broke out (surprisingly), the oldest got the blueberry (not surprisingly) and the others settled for the joy of the progress. Phew.
Anticipation. They say it’s half the fun.
I think this year more than ever we are all anticipating fresh fruit and vegetables. Ironically, with the mild spring and summer, we are all having to wait longer than normal for the local crops to be ready. I talked to Zelaney’s at the Farmer’s Market (we use their spinach and broccoli in our fresh sandwiches and salads) and they said the same thing. “It should be ready now, but we need some heat to ripen the crops! Give it another week or so and we should have lots!”. We farmers are all in the same boat here.
I struggled this week to know what to do for a recipe video because in about 5-7 days time there is going to be an abundance of produce to choose from: green and yellow beans, zucchini, field cucumbers, apricots, blueberries – maybe even some early peaches! But when we were doing the video, we had only strawberries and some cherries. So, I landed on one of my favorite childhood treats that Mom would make for very special occasions - Fresh Fruit Pie. This pie uses a pastry bottom and fresh fruit. It tastes like summer! In the video I made it with strawberries, but this pie is amazing with raspberries, and in our family it's traditionally made with peaches. So try it with strawberries but keep it in mind for other summer fruits too. Or just make it with each new fruit that rolls in this summer!
At the farm and in the valley, we are on the brink of an avalanche of fresh, field ripened, mouth-watering fruits and vegetables. Keep checking in for updates.
Laura Shaw
For the Davison Family
Learn a recipe for every season! Great for strawberries, peaches, raspberries and more!
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