BLUEBERRY FOLLY

[NorthernWinos]

Well...we headed out at 6 AM this morning in search of the elusive Minnesota Wild Blueberry ...with only verbal directions we actually did quite well and found some....

Early in the day we found ourselves in a forest, cool breezes whispered through the towering pines, it was very pleasant ....we filled a couple buckets.....

Then we thought we could find greener pastures and moved....did find more berries, but not the blue carpet of jumbo berries we had heard about....Then we tried open fields of newly planted trees, berries pretty scarce....

Then we went for a ride..ended up at a small lake and wasn't able to turn the pickup around very well....ran into other pickers and found the whereabouts of a prospective road full of berries...It was the road from hell...needed 4X4 to get through mud and water holes....Then down another road...it kept getting narrower and narrower...finally a tree was down and we had to back out about a mile.....Was glad we had the GPS...at least we always knew where we were...however....we didn't know why we were there.

So...back to the towering pines with the pleasant shade and did manage to end up with 15 quarts of uncleaned berries...I will clean them tomorrow and will have a final tally......

Probably not enough berries for a batch of wine.....Many pancakes and pancake syrup...maybe.

So...12 hours later we are home....
At least $45 worth of diesel fuel...
It was really a fun day...
It was priceless.....

However...Sam's Club and Costco's berries are looking like a really good deal.

 

[grapeman]

It must be the medecine speaking! Bite your tongue. There is no way that Walmat, Sam's Club or any other big box berries will taste as good as those wild grown blueberries will. Maybe for wine the others will be fine, but for the best eating berries you just can't buy them at almost any price! So enjoy them while you have them and to heck with the cost of the fuel!(Just exagrating a bit here NW)

 

[rgecaprock]

Fantastic Day...it sound like for you two. It must have been worth it just to be in the woods !!!! Glad you have enough for some syrup and maybe some wine.!!!


Did you take pictures!!?


Ramona

 

[NorthernWinos]

No pictures today.....had the camera...but the scenery wasn't that great...

Now if there would have been blue carpets of berries on the forest floor...you'd be seeing them.

 

[rgecaprock]

Glad you had a great day!!!!

 

[Wade E]

All that 4 wheelin is fun till you get stuck, especially out i gods land with no cell phone or worse with a cell phone but no signal. Why not freeze them and go back another day to get enough for a batch.

 

[NorthernWinos]

We did have a cell phone...never checked for a signal....Was happy with the GPS.....knew which way civilization was...there was a 'town' nearby...all that is there is a bar...I think there is a Post Office inside the bar.

I am going to freeze these berries....friends want to go on Sunday to their 'hot-spot'....I'm game...Just have to convince Jim....

We have some vintage berries in the freezer that I have been hoarding...so once I do inventory and cleaning/sorting today will see how many pounds there is.

I am thinking of doing a Pinot Noir or Merlot and add what Blueberry juice I do get....How does that sound????

 

[rgecaprock]

Blueberry Merlotis really good. A friend of mine brought me a bottle of it from a winery in Louisana.


Ramona

 

[grapeman]

I made the Island Mist Blueberry Pinot Noir last year. It was OK, but the Cherry Pinot Noir from Orchard Breezin was much better in my opinion. You could just make a smaller batch of straight blueberry and experiment mixing after it is done.

 

[Joanie]

I was afraid you were going to report you picked blueberries with the bear and her cubs!!

 

[NorthernWinos]

I was afraid you were going to report you picked blueberries with the bear and her cubs!!

There probably was bears out there.....It was pretty remote.

There was places we went that would be a good place to hide a body.....

Edited by: Northern Winos

 

[NorthernWinos]

Here's the booty.....

16# of cleaned Blueberries...small little devils.....I froze 6# for pancakes and 10# for the 'wine-effort'...

We are thinking about heading out in the morning to a new place to give it a try...need more berries and this is the time to get them...They are small but plenty ripe and tasty.

I did get a nice score of raspberries this morning...they are kind of slowing down...I didn't pick yesterday, so lost a few on the ground....

So it goes.

 

[Waldo]

Might even try you a Blueberry Melomel NW...Get some pictures tomorrow if you can.

 

[jobe05]

Might even try you a Blueberry Melomel NW...Get some pictures tomorrow if you can.

At least a gallon of it.

Glad you had a great day enjoying the great outdoors.

I picked blueberries once....... then did what you are thinking......... Off to Sam's Club!

 

[Wade E]

I would try a small batch of Melomel NW I used Waldo's recipe twice now and only upped the blueberries the 2nd time to get it to where my taste is and it is AWESOME!!!!!!!!!! On another note, I did my side job today where the people have the 2 big mulberry trees that I had free reign of but hen I spoke to the lady in April she told me that it always is ready mid July but she was wrong, it is really mid June and I missed them which really ticked me off cause i was really looking forward to them but received a bonus anyway. They had a 5 gal. carboy from when her uncle used to make wine and tey gave it to me and she might even be interested in making some wine of her own so I gave her this website and will drop off some wines in the next few days. So bummed that I missed the icking season for the berries though!

 

[NorthernWinos]

A friend's brother picks lots of blueberries....he has an annual pancake breakfast and serves 200 of his closest friends....So this kind man offers to share his sacred picking area with us.....

So we leave again this morning at 6 AM for another day of blueberry picking...74 miles later we arrive at 'The Promised Land'....

It as a beautiful day in the woods....a few clouds past with a slight mist to cool us....There were some berries...Not the ones dreams are made of...but enough to make picking enjoyable...

We brought home a few buckets full...which I am still cleaning...Probably 18# or so...won't know till I am done how many we'll have......They will be for pancakes, pancake syrup, perhaps I will get extravagant and make a pie....but mostly these are for the 'Wine Effort'....

Mr. Blueberry gave me a couple tips about cleaning them....Put a piece of plywood on a 45* angle, lay a fluffy wet towel over it...pour your berries over the towel and the leaves and some of the organic material sticks to the towel....

Also...he said not to wash the berries before freezing them, so I am cleaning these dry.

Will give a tally later.

We must be nuts.....This is a sickness.....We need help!!!!!

 

[Wade E]

Nice score there NW!

 

[Bert]

Nice pictures Northern.....Is it a sickness??? I don't think so, just a desire to make some good wine and too have fun doing it...Looks great..

 

[joeswine]

I,LL SECOND THAT AMMOSSION

 

[NorthernWinos]

So....I get up this morning and Jim says..."Are you ready to go"?????

How can two people screw off so much????

We just might go back....... Just one more time.........Meanwhile, today...I have to finish cleaning these...pick raspberries and beans....

Tomorrow is Chemo day....so that day is shot.....Maybe I'll run into the folks who told us about the first place we picked at and thank them for the great time we had.

Jim is making blueberry pancakes right now....

Life is good!!!!

Edited by: Northern Winos