Jam on it!

Blackberries, blueberries and raspberries . Heck yes!

I went berry picking last week, on a beautiful cloudy Thursday, with my 2 sisters and brother. The drive was about an hour and a half and I was pilot of the journey. Looking into the rear view mirror and seeing the unenthused faces of my dear sisters, I was totally amped, as we drove into the grey horizon. I knew it was going to be a killer sibling fun day!

We arrived at Patty’s Berries and Bunches, which by the way was (not so) coincidently featured in Time Out New York after we went, and the lack of crowd was perfect for our photo shoot! Obviously the only reason my siblings and I hang out, is to take pictures of each other and post them on Facebook . This is always a guarantee to make our “friends” think we’re fun, cool and green with envy. I’m sure of it!

We got our baskets and skipped hand in hand down the rows of bountiful blackberry bushes, as if we were setting off onto the yellow brick road. We even took a nap in a field of poppies zinnias! Five minutes in we all felt the effects of the acidic berries turning our stomachs and staining our lips. I mean, it was completely necessary to test a berry from each bush! We couldn’t risk collecting bad berries and tainting our jam. Four baskets of blackberries, and we didn’t have enough. We decided we needed blueberries. We only got two baskets and divided into teams. Faith and Keith lost. Blah Blah Blah we picked more berries it was fun. We ended up with 10 quarts of blackberries, blueberries and raspberries.

We learned a lot about berry picking:

1. The berry’s you can’t reach are the sweetest and most valuable…they’re also guarded by bee’s.
2. Establish your boundaries and berry etiquette.
a.If I saw my sister or brother picking from a bush where there were prize winning berries, I'd let them steal the glory and flaunt their findings…there are plenty of berries to find. I’m only saying this because there was a father and son, stepping all up in personal space and admiring our findings….uhhhh he he heeellloooooooo! You don’t mooch off of other people’s findings.
3. The softer the berry the sweeter the taste!

We went to Love Lane Kitchen on Love Lane in Mattituck after. We weren’t hungry but we knew should eat , because it was lunch time. Flash, Flash, munch, munch, pose..hayyyy we had a great day of taking pictures!

On our speedy drive home we passed the overrated and overcrowded east bound traffic to the Hamptons. I’ll say this…If you want a vacation, why would you sit in a shitload of traffic to be with everyone you want a vacation from? Anyway, thank you materialistic-egotistical-wasteful-weekenders for shifting to the shit end of the Island; your vacation is my vacation!

Berries washed, sugar measured, jars sanitized, bickering, dirty looks, dancing and constant stirring check, check and check! Surviving a crowded kitchen and a few minor burns, we ended with 18 jars of delicious jam, and you’re most likely not getting one!