Well, still going strong. Reka is finished, Bluecrop is 3/4 through, legacy is going strong, and Aurora is coming in slowly. After coming home from my niece's beautiful wedding last week, I thought of closing the field. I figured we could pick and freeze the rest of the berries for ourselves. But I'm glad we didn't. Many repeat customers called and wanted to come back and pick with their families.
My friend Maria brought her family and her mother and grandmother --4 generations! Sweet to see. A sweet gal and her retired husband brought their small daycare group, which was super cool- how many daycares do fun field trips? I got a huge kick out of one of the kids saying, "I just found a bunch of chubby berries!" A young family brought their preschool-aged kids, and the 4 year old daughter asked me if I painted my house gray because my hair was gray, lol! I love kids!!! And almost every day one kid or another will shout gleefully, "I FOUND ONE!!" Ha! I guess it takes a practiced eye to actually see the berries, and not just rows of leafy shrubs. I've watched sulky, non-blueberry loving kids taste a sweet berry and by the end of their visit they've filled bucket and belly with sweet blue goodness- and even hug me before leaving! I love to see them open up to the enjoyment of this superfood, even though they have been soured in the past by tasteless supermarket berries. It makes me happy to think they will be just a little bit healthier for the experience here in our field.
One joyous little boy got out of his car, ran ahead of his parents and gave me a huge hug! Then ran over to my uncle Jon who was visiting and hugged him, too. Just full of love and joy. His folks said he was so excited to pick blueberries! He'd never met us, but was overcome with exuberance. So cute!! His parents must know what a darling little treasure they have.
In this past month, I've reconnected with old friends and met many wonderful, wholesome, loving, conscientious people. The young girl who asked about my gray house--turns out that I babysat her mother when she was a baby! It is so fun to connect with the community around us, and to find so many great folks who live right nearby!
And yes, it's nice to be appreciated. Many people have expressed appreciation for what we are doing in opening the field up for the community. They love to have someplace local to take the kids for a relaxing outing, making memories like they have of their childhoods. I wish there were more local berry fields! Bring the berries back to Olalla!! (Land of berries, in Indian jargon).
Many people have asked if we might do other berries in the future. We have talked about it. Strawberries would be lovely...using Paul Gauchi's mulch method. Or if the plants were raised up for easy picking like they were in Japan...maybe. I don't know for sure. Could we stretch ourselves that far? I want to grow my own strawberries because I crave the sweetness of homegrown...but could I actually do them for u-pick? I don't know. Because the blues are labor intensive. The weeding! Edging, mulching, fertilizing, etc. How will I ever have enough time to do more? Unless I hire help. And that's another consideration...
My friend Kim has a special needs son who is highly capable and intelligent. I have known him since he was just a little kid, playing sports with my kids. He loves agriculture, and he's helped out on the farm in the past. She has approached me with the idea of hiring him as an intern, and I have been interested but reluctant, because I have wondered how we could possibly pay him. After all, I would not want to short change him. He's a hard-working young man, and deserves a good wage. He needs money to fund his various scientific interests. And he may need seed money for his own farm someday. This year I knew we would not be making much. In fact we have made only $1200 so far. The plants are young. But every year they will increase in productivity. We need to think about what to do when we have more berries than customers. Farmer's markets are a possibility. But I don't want to set up and sit there all day! Could Joel do it? I don't know. He might not have the customer service skills, but he could help set up the stand, no problem. Hmmm. Another option might be to let local kids come and pick at a reduced cost and take the berries to market to sell for profit, thereby eliminating the hassle of labor laws, employee record keeping, etc. Lots to think about.
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