Take Your PIck

I am talking about fruit that is available in the stores, on farms and in the wild for us.  While I was picking a handful of raspberries to munch on it made me think of picking wild berries with my mom.  She knew where the best strawberry fields , raspberry bushes, blackberry bushes, blueberries, elderberries and wild apples grew.   Our jellies, sauces and apple butter all came from berries that grew in the wild.  I can never remember buying anything but bananas on our regular trip to the Red and White in Shinglehouse.  Did you know Doc Simons, aka Willard/Willie/Bill worked there in his high school years?  One trip to the dentist and he told me he has one of my mom's grocery orders in his scrap book.  She use to have me take it in, hand it to the cashier and one of the stock boys will fill the order, take it out to our car and mom would pay them.  She was very shy and did not like going in the stores unless she absolutely had to.  From the time I can remember I was the one to take the list in.  Eventually she started going in.  It must have been very hard to do. 

I got side tracked again from my fruit story!  At Christmas time we had tangerines and maybe grapes.  Back in the 1950s it was not so easy to ship fruit and vegetables.  My grandmother Carrie would get so excited when Etta Hawley would send her oranges, grapefruit, dates and figs for Christmas.  She had cleaned and cooked for Preston and Etta Hawley until they retired and moved to Florida.  They never failed to send her the Christmas treats.  Years ago Dr. Kapp our dentist when I was growing up in Shinglehouse retired and moved to Florida.  The first time we received a package from him of oranges and grapefruit made me smile.  My turn to get the Florida goodies.

Now we can buy fruit and vegetables year round that years ago we never could.  From South America, Mexico, Hawaii and all across the USA they are shipped daily and arrive just like they were picked that day.  School never had fresh fruits, I remember fruit cocktail was the main fruit served to us.  I loved the peaches and cherries in it.  The pears always seemed hard and pineapple is not one of my favorite fruits unless it is fresh. 
 
Well that is the fruit story, take you pick........there are plenty of different varieties.  Or go out in the wild open spaces, find the raspberries and blackberries, they are plentiful, big and juicy this year.  By the looks of the wild apple trees there will be plenty for pressing cider, applesauce, apple butter and canning for pies this winter.  Life is good, go get it for free.  Just remember, take a body guard packing or take your own pistol.  I prefer the tall guy with his rifle, he can see over the bushes better and keep an eye out for a "berry picking bear". 

After picking peas a little raspberry refresher hits the spot!  They are big this year.