Berry Perfume

Were you around for last year's Gizdich Ranch excursion?

Yes? thanks for sticking around! No? Have a look at this year. ;-)

A year and four days later, Mom and I returned to Gizdich. It's a tightly scheduled morning; I leave the house at 7:30 to get to my parents at 8:00. We drive an hour further south to Watsonville, between Santa Cruz and Monterey. When we get home we're dirty and very hungry, weighed down by fresh fruit for eating and jam-making.

We were unlucky with chilly and overcast weather, but very lucky to pick boysenberries in addition to olallieberries and strawberries.

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My first tin of strawberries in the middle of the patch

Mom and I went down rows next to each other picking.

Ow, all that bending over!

I have great respect for those who make their living at this. It's hard on the back, legs, and arms. I don't think I could do it every day.

Here's Mom picking olallieberries.

You can see the foggy clouds on top of the mountains behind her.

Olallieberries on the vine~
The red ones are pretty, but they aren't ripe yet so we don't touch those. Look for the darkest, soft berries that fall into your hand when you touch them.

Like this guy :-)

Our final haul in the back of the Suburban before heading home. Someone should bottle and sell the perfume created by a load of berries in the deck- Olallie Strawberry Eau de Toilette?

~:::~