By Robin Alberti
Favorite summer pastimes vary greatly as there are many fun activities to fit into a relatively short season. Some can’t wait to get out their golf clubs, others their grills. You can lace up your hiking boots and hit the trails, or spend the day swimming, kayaking or canoeing one of Vermont’s pristine lakes or rivers. There are fish to be caught, sprinklers to run through, marshmallows to be roasted, etc. Whether your idea of fun is zooming through the woods on a mountain bike, or just lounging by a lake with a great book in your hands, the Green Mountain State offers endless possibilities.
But don’t let it slip by without also enjoying the tastes of the season.
A large variety of locally grown fresh fruits and vegetables are available around the state at farmer’s markets and roadside stands. To get the most out of the summer season, add this to your to-do list: visit one of the many local farms that offer pick-your-own. Many people look forward to picking their own apples or pumpkins in the fall, but Vermont farmers also produces a tantalizing array of berries, cherries, plums and more. There is nothing better than popping a berry into your mouth, right off the bush, still warm from the sun. The flavor is unbelievable!
Warning: once you have tasted fresh-picked berries, it is hard to be satisfied with what you can find in the grocery store in January. Produce that is not in season here has to be shipped in from a far. The flavor just isn’t the same as fresh-picked, in-season fruits and veggies. Strawberries are usually at their peak in mid-June, raspberries in July (then again in the fall), and blueberries in late-July/August.
Berry picking is an activity all ages can enjoy. When my kids were younger, more went in their mouths than in the baskets, but that is part of the experience, I think. So go pick a quart to devour in the car, or whole flats and capture the flavor of berries at their peak, then freeze them so you can enjoy them the rest of the year. It is best to freeze produce the day you pick it, or at least within 48 hours. This will help capture the best flavor and the most nutrients in your hard earned harvest.
Preserve the summer’s bounty
First, rinse blueberries (or other berries) under cold running water, and drain. Lay them out on a towel and roll them around a bit to remove as much of the moisture as possible (this will minimize ice crystals and yucky “freezer burn” taste). Then spread out the berries on a cookie sheet and put them in the freezer. Once frozen, remove the tray, and put berries in a re-sealable plastic freezer bag. This will keep the fruit from freezing into a solid clump so that you can easily pull out how much you want to use.
