The season of picking fruit at Greenbluff is just beginning, which is good news for all of us. It seems like there is no end to the wealth of berries and fruit available just miles from town. I have a weakness for strawberries and have big plans for canning, infusing, and eating them this season.

This morning I took a trip up to Siemer’s Farm and picked to my heart’s content (well, I kinda want to go back for more next week). A friend and I have been picking at Siemer’s for several years, so it is the farm I tend to go back to. The berries are clean, easy to pick, and there’s a tractor to ride on around the fields (also good for entertaining young children). The prices of u-pick berries on the bluff range from $.99-$1.15 a pound—not bad when compared to grocery store prices.

I came home with almost 15 pounds of berries. I currently have two quart jars of berries macerating with sugar and vanilla beans in the fridge (to become jam), and am infusing a jar of strawberries in vinegar and another in vodka. Tomorrow I’ll get whole berries ready to preserve in sugar syrup, vanilla, and balsamic vinegar. Look for recipes and other ideas in upcoming canning posts.

I also stopped by the farmer’s market at 5th and Browne today and it was buzzing! I munched on an amazing orange and dark chocolate scone (good job, Bouzies Bakery!) as I browsed and came home with over a pound of garlic scapes, which quickly turned into the three jars of pickled scapes on the counter cooling as I type. All in all, a good day supporting local farms and stocking my pantry.

To find out what’s ripe and where to pick, visit the Greenbluff Grower’s site.

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