A lightbulb just went on in my head and I started to look at my surroundings in a new light. It’s berry season! My eyes started to look left and right rather than straight ahead, always on the prowl for the right bush with a hint of color between the green leaves. Usually one to stride with purpose, I began to meander, stopping to gather and munch, just like my hero, Little Sal, in Robert McClousky’s, Blueberries for Sal. A lost golf ball became a delicious reason to hunt, and there was nary a time that I didn’t emerge from the foliage with berries in hand.
Now I’m sure that the nutritional value of blueberries is not new news for many of you Senior Rippers, but sometimes we need reminders. Not only are blueberries anti-inflammatory, helping with arthritis relief, they contain antioxidants and can help get rid of toxins, flush out kidneys, prevent cancer and serve as a digestive aid. Need I say more? I will. Dr. Robert Krikorian of the University of Cincinnati has found that consumption of wild blueberries may slow loss of cognitive function and decrease depression in the elderly.
Picking enough blueberries to have on hand in the fridge can be a chore. The low bush variety that you find on rocky hill tops and exposed ditches in Maine produce tiny berries that perish quickly. This is why you need to keep your eyes out for good patches. A slow slog up a hill on a hot afternoon on my bike gave me just that chance. A ditch, alongside the road in front of the town’s transfer station, aka “the dump”, was cresting with berries. I convinced my fellow Ripper to join me the next day with bags in our bike shirts to stash our treasure. And treasure trove it was; the berries fell in clusters into our hands.
Highbush blueberries can be cultivated and found in a much broader area. A pick your own berry farm is a place to remember. The Paupack Blueberry Farm near Lake Wallenpaupack, PA gives each eager seeker a tin can to wear around their necks to fill to the brim. Better yet, munching along the way is encouraged.
My advice to you, my Senior Ripper friends, is to find your own local patch. This is the time to reap the health benefits of a daily handful of berries!
yum. And good for you, to boot!
Awesome post. I planted 4 blueberry bushes and 2 blackberry bushes in the backyard this year. Have been wanting to do this for a long time now and finally did. The blueberries have a fighting chance. The blackberries are a long shot, but worth the effort if they come in.
I eat blueberries almost every morning in my NON-FAT, PLAIN GREEK YOGURT and would have been “in heaven” to be with you on this great ‘picking’. Keep having that wonderful, NORTHEAST, summer fun! Missing you both.
BlueBerries are the BEST! Straight up or any number of creative ways. And no pits or thorns. Only a mango comes near. We have hi and low here in neighboring VT. We love Sal.
Yes, Senior Ripper, I remember the Saturday afternoons picking tin cans full of blueberries. When we arrived home we would parcel them into small plastic zip bags, place them in the freezer and have them available for the year. The other treat I remember is the blueberry ice cream at the end of berry picking. The best.
Love this post. It reminds me of growing up in PA!
We used to water ski Lake Wallenpaupack.
Thanks for the reminder! I definitely need this activity for all reasons‼️