Fifteen years ago, we moved into a home bordering on greenspace. After a stone’s throw walk, what we would encounter every mid July was a forest of blue jewels.
When the kids were small, they would bring toys and fill up their bellies on fresh berries while I did the labour. Grandpa, or Dedo, often comes to fill up his wooden basket, too.
Now that both boys are employed, I spend my summers picking alone. This season has been a season like no other. I was shocked two weeks ago, before the calendar flipped to July, to discover the bush had magically already turned blue — and we are talking really blue!
It’s the earliest I have ever witnessed such a bountiful season of berries and I cannot help to attribute it all to climate change and shifting weather patterns.
When my boys were young it was their first taste of summer work. They started with cup fulls, then graduated to containers. They quickly got to see the fruits of their labour with every full container they picked. The boys swiftly filled orders with a Google Form and lined their pockets with cash.
I guess you can say, being a selfless parent, I got nothing out of it other than the satisfaction of knowing they were keeping busy, setting goals and reaping the rewards.
Sometimes people harp over the fluctuating price of blueberries, especially on social media. I can attest to it being back-breaking work and danger pay has to count for something. Those pickers deserve a pat on the back.
Over the years, we have stumbled across rotting animal carcasses in the bush, momma bears with cubs, and woodpeckers scaring us. Then there are the mosquitoes and ticks to battle. My youngest once required stitches after falling on a wet rock while picking berries and last summer we stumbled upon a slipper and a pile of human hair.
Our house cat has even come on his leash to keep us company and protect us. This past week, I was quietly picking when a fox brushed past me carrying a dead robin in its mouth.
Over the past two weeks, I have reflected on the good seasons and the bad ones. Some brought fuzzy tent caterpillars and a season ravaged by chewed up blueberry bushes. Other seasons brought handfuls of what felt like grape bunches and super-easy picking.
This season appears to be a mix of giant blueberries amid white ones. That usually means we have a long season of picking ahead which I welcome.
There have been many friends and customers along the way too that have helped keep me sane in the bush and supported our berry picking ventures.
Of course, not all our customers over the years have been charged for their containers of blueberries. Family members are always at the top of our list with free picks especially those who don’t have the ability to get down and pick for hours on end anymore.
Some people ask what we see in doing that painstaking work on a hot summer day? In education, work with students takes time. There is nothing instantaneous in the results. That’s very different from berry picking where there is instant satisfaction. Bend down and work for three solid hours, and come back with four litres of the sweet antioxidant.
In looking at our blueberry spreadsheet over the years, we have averaged 35-40 litres each year of fresh, handpicked berries being hauled out of the bush, leaving enough for the bears to snack on. Now that I am a sole proprietor, I simply cannot fill and complete big orders anymore, but my time in the bush with the sun on my back and a light breeze still make up my yearly summer bucket list.
If you are interested in indulging in all things blueberry. The Blueberry Festival is making a return this season and begins with a Blueberry Tea at the Red Oak Villa. To learn more about the upcoming Blueberry Festival that is returning this year in Sudbury, visit BlueberryFestival.ca.
Anastasia Rioux is a writer in Greater Sudbury. Let’s Eat! is made possible by Sudbury.com's Community Leaders Program.