June was good with strawberries cropping at 5 kilos a day, double my
weight in the month. We ate them as we picked, served with cream or as
smoothies over ice cream. Some went into jam, others got pickled in sherry or
vodka. Our neighbours had their fill and some were swapped for shiitake
mushrooms cultivated by a friend.
Then came the bilberries from early July to late August. With the help
of bilberry combs from the Ray Mears website, we can pick 3 to 4 kilos in a
session. In the good old days, there would have been lots of people picking the
bilberries, but it seems we have the whole mountain to ourselves, apart from
the choughs and other creatures that share our taste.
Purple lips are a bit of a giveaway as to who’s been eating on the job. Useful
in all sorts of puddings and perfect for freezing, on a tray, and then poured into
a bag. First up makes the tea and thaws a bowl of berries. We should have
enough to purplify our muesli until at least Christmas.
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