Ever since knowing we were expecting a baby come June, I've associated berry season with a sweet newborn. For years now, June has marked the time of year when the blueberries are ripe enough for picking. When the best time to head out into the fields of deep purple and blue is before the sun sets itself high in the sky and the morning fog is just starting to lift up out of the valley. Every year the Hills excitedly await the arrival of opening season with anticipation for how high we can fill our buckets. But spring was hard in Virginia this year, pushing a lot of dependable dates around as the plants, flowers, and fruits had to wait out all of the snow storms that kept popping up well into April. And with this stall we worried the time spent picking those lovely berries would pass by without our fill of harvesting them before our newest bundle arrived.
But this week brought a sweet surprise, with the opening of berry season and a handful of hours where the fields were open for picking. Yesterday, after our 39 week appointment, the three of us headed out into the late afternoon sun to pick our share of berries. Expectations were low because of the heat and intense rays of sun, but we found a row made for us, where the shade was plenty and coolness of the coverage kept mama, toddler, and husband cool and content. We walked away happy for our last little adventure as a family of three with four pints of blueberries perfect for snacking and dessert-making. We're super thankful we were able to sneak away for one of our favorite traditions, which was such an unexpected gift as we near the end of this pregnancy.
The look of joy that comes from eating the blueberries as you go. Nothing simpler, nor sweeter than this. Greer was delighted with finding all of the blue and purple berries she could reach and filling her very own bucket full. Next year, baby sister gets in on the fun.
As round and plump as a berry, myself! This (very) pregnant mama has a blueberry crisp crumble on her mind, and if baby girl doesn't make an appearance this weekend, that dessert sure will!
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