Chapter 9 Blueberries from Hiram

The Blueberries Are Ready

Nancy texted our son Paul last night to see if he wanted to go Blueberry picking this morning. He usually sleeps in on Saturdays. He texted her back that he would be here tomorrow at 8:00 AM. Sure enough, he was here at 8 o'clock sharp! Nancy fixed him a breakfast sandwich, a cooler for us; we said good bye to our Chocolate Lab Jonah and off we were down Rte 82 to Hiram Ohio.

We go to Wolff's Blueberry Patch. I believe it's the best in North East Ohio. We drive through the Aurora countryside and Mantua area on the way to Hiram. Hiram College is nestled in the heart of Hiram. We enjoy the country scenery. The corn fields are teeming with a tall crop and the blooming chicory on the side of the road gives a nice blue border to the highway.

The Blueberries shown above are brimming to the top of a hand made bowl. Do you see the blueberries etched on the side of the bowl? This bowl is one of our treasures bought at a quaint Gift shop in Ashland Wisconsin. (We lived in Northern Wisconsin for several years) The shop was called Roxanne's and I am not sure if it is still open for business.

Blueberry Bushes were Thick with Berries


We picked about 15 pounds of Blueberries among the three of us. Nancy of course picked the most.

On the way back from picking we stopped at Monroe Farms, located on Pioneer Trail Road. We saw the 'peaches' sign out front and were concerned that the Red Haven peaches were already ripe; we usually get them mid August. We were happy to learn the peaches that were ripe are an early variety called Summer Serenade. We bought a half a peck for eating. We also bought some farm fresh Maple Syrup and some Sweet Corn for dinner.

Nancy cans about 4 pecks of peaches each summer; which translates into about 24 jars of 'pure heaven'. There is nothing so tasty as your own canned peaches. (I will cover this topic when it's canning time)

When we arrived home Paul thought it would be nice to have brunch; "How about blueberry waffles with the fresh Maple Syrup and some strawberries?" Nancy obliged and before long we were enjoying the fruit of our labor. Nancy always heats the syrup and we ate the waffles while they were hot. Delicious!

After brunch, Nancy packaged up some pint size containers for Paul to take to his girlfriends house. He said her Dad likes blueberries as well. It was great to take a restful ride out in the country. It has become a tradition and Paul has fond memories of picking with Mom when he was younger. I think it's 'in his blood' to go blueberry picking. It put a real smile on my face today to see him enjoy it so much. If you have never gone blueberry picking you must try it. See you in the Garden.