Grasshopper New Media Presents...

Berry season is upon us here in Michigan, so I thought I’d write a series of posts on preserving fruits and vegetables. Let’s face it: food prices are rising quickly and there is savings in picking and processing the food yourself. Added bonus: you’re in control of the ingredients and the quality of the food handling process.

My emphasis in years past has been mainly on fruit, although I’m planning to expand into vegetables more this year. Fruits I’ve preserved before include strawberries, cherries, raspberries, blueberries, peaches, and apples. Vegetables include beans, tomatoes (in salsa), and pumpkins. This year I hope to try putting up peppers and onions and maybe broccoli and cauliflower.

I’m going to be upfront with you: I don’t grow any of this produce myself. I’ve tried and failed miserably at vegetable gardening and have come to the conclusion that someone needs to be out supporting the farm stands and markets… may as well be me. The reason I have failed so spectacularly may have something to do with the way I get distracted and wander off around about July every year. Perhaps I’ll do a better job when I grow up.

Strawberries should be ripe in another ten days or so, with cherries, raspberries, and then blueberries following in July. It is possible to purchase any of them at the store or farm stand but you can usually save about half the cost by picking it yourself.

Fruit picking with children does require some advance preparation. Here are some tips that may be helpful:

• If you’ve got young children (say, under the age of 4), it would be wise to bring along another adult. Even if children outnumber adults (my mother and I have taken the four boys ourselves) if there are two of you, one can keep picking while the other runs any kind of necessary interference.
• Schedule your trip when the day is cooler as there is rarely shade in a berry patch. Oh, and don’t go at naptime.
• If you have toddlers, taking Grandpa along with some toys to entertain is a huge bonus.
• Bring a good supply of cold water or other beverages.
• Be sure to coat everyone with sunscreen and it can’t hurt to have some bug repellent along.
• Hand wipes or other sanitizer is often helpful.
• A small plastic container of water can be used for rinsing off fruit that children want to consume in the field.

There are several lessons built-in to the berry picking process. The color of the berry indicates ripeness, and it’s a great time to teach your child about dark and light shades of the same color. They can also practice looking critically at the fruit to check for bad spots or bugs. We’ve had contests to count how many berries are picked, as well as who can fill their container the fastest. This has led to discussions on volume, or how much fruit is in the basket. You can also set a goal for the day, such as “fill 6 quarts and we’re done”.

Next post, we’ll talk specifics about what to do with the berries after you’ve picked them. And oh! If you have favorite recipes or ideas, have them ready won’t you please?? I love new ideas.

by AmyL

Photo graciously provided by gari.baldi, through a Creative Commons license, some rights reserved