You're turning violet, Violet!

This weekend I took a trip down memory lane. Mom and I went blueberry picking in Fairhope, AL! We set out with two goals for our trip to "Bee Natural Farm." 1) Bring home enough berries to make blueberry preserves as Christmas gifts for our entire extended family, the neighbors, and the mailman.
2) Withstand the 97 degree temperature whilst standing in the middle of a berry field.

I'm not sure either of these was achieved, but we had a wonderful time nonetheless (Plus- there were no no-neck monster sightings which alone is an accomplishment.)

Here are some pics from the outing.

The Honor System. We picked a total of 10 lbs of
blueberries between us. $15 for 10 lbs of berries?
Not too shabby.



















Mom and her handy-dandy fanny pack bucket berry holder-- a clever contraption devised by the owner of the Bee Natural Farm.








There were also apples, pears and corn on the farm. Sadly only the berries were available for pick-n-pay.

I, too, sported the fanny pack bucket.

This is an old recipe my Mom uses to make her preserves. I have zero experience with making preserves-- I didn't realize you add "liquid fruit pectin" in order to get the jelly consistency. Pectin is a form of soluble fiber from fruits and veggies that can reduce cholesterol. Just as it gels up the preserves, it also gels up in your small intestine (this is good). There's a nice visual for you.

We spread ours on a warm English Muffin-
makes for a nice breakfast!

Which kind of preserves/jams/jellies are your favorite?