Reub's journey

02 September 2011

Very berry

Ahh, the beginning of September, one of my favorite times of year: school starts, the leaves turn golden, and the harvest season is upon us.

This time of year coincides with the fabulous fruit season here in western Oregon, a time when you can go out and pick berries to your heart's content. So fun!



Spread out on my kitchen counter are enough blueberries to bake 3 pies per month for the next year. They're very late this year, due to the non-arrival of summer weather; ordinarily this scene would appear in July.


What the heck do you do with plums? They're in season too, and since we are in the heart of hazelnut country, what better thing to bake then this hazelnut-crumb plum tart? Luckily we had some folks to share this with because it's waaay too rich for the two of us to polish off on our own.



There is a two week period during the year when I stop cursing the nasty, thorny blackberry bushes which invade every possible open place they can. This is that time, and yesterday these came off the bushes in a neglected tree farm just behind our house. My fingers were stained purple within minutes!



Inspired by a recipe in Wednesday's New York Times, I tossed the blackberries together with some lemon and a little sugar.



Ed and Reub like to hang out in the kitchen with me and the juke box (yes, there is a juke box in my kitchen), listening to oldies and messing with berries.


Are they hoping to get a bite of this? Never!

We made our teeth black with berry juice eating cobbler, both for dinner and breakfast: glorious!

10 comments:

  1. OMG! you are one evil woman! i just ate a bunch of strawberries (from the store, thank you) and now want blackberry cobbler!!!

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  2. The berries looks very good :)
    Your dogs are very cute - they look friendly.

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  3. one year we were in Portland when the blackberries were ripening. outside the door to our little suite were blackberry vines. I enjoyed those berries every day of our stay.

    our blueberries which ripen in June didn't do well this year, too hot and dry.

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  4. Right. Kerry got on the bathroom scale this AM and found out she gained 2 pounds in the past 2 weeks. Today she decided she needed to go on a "hard run." Ha. I was ahead of her the whole time.

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  5. twg: Come to OR. I'll make a cobbler for you. We'll talk about growing up in WI.

    Hi Helen! Welcome. Mostly the dogs are friendly, although Reuben needs to be properly introduced. After that he is your slave.

    Ellen, that drought of yours really really needs to end.

    Eddy: I think it might be time to put you in your crate. You must be very tired.

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  6. OMG my mouth is watering. I remember berry season in the pacific northwest. I could never believe how good that fruit was. Wow!

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  7. mmmmmmmmmmmmm ahhhhhhhhhhhhhhhh mmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmm ahhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhh mmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmm

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  8. Luscious post! I try to coincide my visits to family in Oregon with blackberry season. I remember days where those heavenly berries made an appearance in some form at every meal!

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  9. Chris: I always love it when you stop by.

    Pauline: We could have berries morning, noon and night right now. Time to make a visit to your family!

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