This is unusual for us - blueberries in the early part of June. Normally they start ripening close to the 4th of July. These are from blueberry bushes that Dad planted 12 years ago or more. Ben and our neighbor Joe have been working on them since last fall, clearing out privet, honeysuckle vines and thornbushes. They fertilized them this spring and put out some compost around the base. This is our reward. The first berries were picked a few days ago - we have one bush that is ripening far ahead of the others. I filled my pocket with fresh berries and we ate them while we stood in the pasture watching the goats. This is what we want - to be good stewards of the legacy Dad left behind, to enjoy the land the way he did, and to use it the way it should be. We will pick berries, freeze some, bake with some, eat some fresh, and make jam with more. It looks like it will be a bumper crop this year. I picked up some books on canning and supplies last year - I made freezer jam with part of last years harvest. I hope to can some this year in a hot water bath. We'll see - it may be the freezer again. But there's no doubt we will enjoy them....
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