On Monday of this week, my husband made a last minute decision to extend Father's Day weekend by taking the day off from work. We headed to a local blueberry farm and had an enjoyable time picking blueberries.
The weather was mildly hot, but not dreadful. The children wore their jeans and rubber boots (the best footwear for a child when picking any type of berries--super easy to clean). The blueberry farm we went to is in between our town and the town my husband's parents live in, to they joined us for the activity.
We had skipped a couple of years of picking fresh blueberries, so I wasn't sure how the children would do. As it turns out, even Liam, my 23-month-old, could follow directions and get to work! There is nothing like seeing these sweet toddler hands busy learning about the world around him. He picked a lot of ripe blueberries and only a few red/green ones. He did need the occasional reminder.
He looks so tiny in the blueberry orchard, which seemed to go on forever. There were many rows just like this one.
Bridget was the first to get tired. She'd find a good branch of blueberries and pick just two or three of them and then move around the bush to another branch. She did a lot of walking and as a result, tired out easily. She's too impatient to stand there and work on something and finish it. We're going to be working on that. She is definitely the little princess, wanting to enjoy eating the blueberries but not spend too much time picking them.
George on the other hand is my only child that does not like blueberries, but he picked a good amount of them. He has his father's work ethic. I suppose you could say that Bridget and George balance each other out. George will pick 'em, Bridget will eat 'em.
I picked a few blueberries but much of my time was spent watching the children and documenting their experiences with the camera. I couldn't help but also take some pictures of just the blueberries. It helped me to appreciate where we live and the opportunities we have to pick our own food and learn how and where it is grown.
We certainly live in a beautiful world and I feel so blessed.
After an hour of blueberry picking, the children were done and ready to go. All together (including the grandparents) we picked 8 pounds of blueberries!
We have big plans for these blueberries. Bridget has requested blueberry pancakes and waffles, but has already eaten three bowls of fresh blueberries. At the rate she's going, I don't know if we will have any left for pancakes. I plan to make a blueberry cake that I allow myself to make once a year during blueberry season. I am excited and I know I'll overeat, but I am trying not to feel too guilty about it.
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