Life: Idiotropic

If I could be crowned the Blueberry Queen without actually being the shape or color of a blueberry, I would gladly own the title. I love blueberries. I really love fresh blueberries. So if I can go pick them and eat as many as I'd like in the process, then I'm all for it.

Last week I found out about a little U-Pick place about 20 minutes away, so today after swimming and a rainstorm, we went, picked, ate, and, two hours later, came home with 11.6 Kilograms (25.52 pounds). (Paid 20.88Euros - ends up costing USD $1.28/pound!)

The farm itself is one of a long line of houses with a sign sticking out the sign letting us know there are berries behind those walls. The entire village is filled with growers who sell a myriad of berries along side other fruit and vegetables to anyone who stops by. This one though, is special in that it's the only one with the sign saying "zelf plukken - selbst Pfluecken." Meaning, of course, U-pick. It's writing in Dutch and German since Koeningsbusch is on the Dutch side of a border that's shifted back and forth over the years. "My grandpa started this farm over 40 years ago," explains the young girl, one of only two working there who speak English. And now her aunt owns it and the family all works together. "Do you get tired of blueberries?" "Oh no, we eat them all the time. I love them." And when I asked her how she likes them. "Fresh off the plant." Is there any other way?

My friend, Alice, was with us with her two little ones. And I, had my cumbersome 4 running along. Walking back to the field, I had strictly instructed my darlings only to pick the blue ones and put them into the bucket. "Don't eat them." But no, according to our "tour guide", we could all eat as many as we'd like. Yum. Don't have to tell me twice.

"Sophie is the one who organizes this thing." Sophie doesn't speak much English, but wears a red bucket hat that is hard to miss. She comes over to use and shows us the bush to start at, her eyes squinting part from sun and part from age, the wrinkles seeming to squish together at her eyes.

Sophie, in showing us how to pick, pointed to the green berries and shook her head no, picked a few blue ones and dropped all but one into my bucket. The last one went into her mouth and she smiled. You pick the entire bush - all the blue ones, she says. No green. Then, you move on to the next bush in the row. They are packed with berries and the blue ones fall off very easily. Some are tiny and some are the size of nickles, but they are all delicious. The kids have fun. Luci starts picking the green ones. She likes them because they're sour. Sophie walks by later, taps my arm, then shows that she's taking out the green ones from Luci's bucket and throwing them on the ground. "Kinder," I try to tell her in German, "gern greun." They like the green ones. She smiles, says "excuse me" in German, then laughs and walks to the next group.

Two hours later we walked back with 3 filled buckets and 5 filled tummies. Glad they only weighed the buckets.

Everyone was nice. One German lady to my left talked to me a little, then asked for the English words for "gesund" and "lekker." Healthy and delicious. Another German lady asked where I was from and if I'd make marmalada. No, I don't know how to make marmalade. Then her friend gave the recipe in German and she happily translated it for me. Add sugar and cook in a pot for 3 minutes, she said. "Only three minutes?" It didn't sound right. "Nur drie minuten" said her friend. "Three minutes." OK.

So, now, we've eaten a TON of blueberries. I have 12 filled quart-sized freezer bags of berries. And several containers in the fridge. If I can go back next week, I will.