It almost seems that I eat my way through life. Especially this time of year, as we move from one season to the next. Not seasons as in summer and fall, but seasons as in what is getting ripe and ready to eat.
Strawberries are still going, so I’m not ready to completely give up on them yet. There are so many different varieties these days that their season is extended a bit.
And, of course, hodge podge season. I suppose we could really eat it all year round, but it’s best when the vegies are fresh and new.
Now we’re starting to get into blueberry season.
I’m a big blueberry pie fan. I’ll eat blueberries in most any form, but I like blueberry pie. Particularly homemade blueberry pie. Not that I have anything against a nice commercially made blueberry pie, but the pie filling just seems a bit too thick. I’ll eat it. I just prefer the homemade type.
Building a good blueberry pie is not easy. You have to get that perfect balance of not dredging the berries too much, but not doing it too little. You don’t want it to be too liquid and run out all over the place. But you don’t want to go to solid, either.
I try, but it’s tough to get exactly right. You just have to keep experimenting. And if it’s not perfect… well, you just have to eat it up and try again.
Of course, you don’t want to put all your berries in one pie. Or one dish. You could miss out on the many different ways to eat blueberries. And I do like to eat blueberries.
For some of my berries, I try to find them along an area near a lake where I know they grow. I can usually get a pie or two out of this area, but it is a bit of a struggle. It seems ducks are also blueberry fans. If I’m not around to protect them, which is too often, the ducks will eat my berries. Now it is possible the ducks could have a better claim to these particular berries, but each year there is the battle of the berries. Sometimes I win, sometimes the ducks win. But we both seem to enjoy the game.
Although I have other ways to get them. I can always go to a store. Ducks don’t usually have that option. But it doesn’t make me feel bad to get to the berries before they do.
