A berry good time of the year

We will be heading up the mountain to 7D pretty soon, and perhaps the one thing my kids are most excited about is blueberry picking. We had a blast doing it last summer, and we will have with us this time someone with a plethora of blueberry-themed recipes. I fully expect our lips to be blue by the time we leave.

Naturalist Amy Renfranz recently wrote something for the Mountain Times about blueberries. You can read it in its entirety here. But it certainly got me (even more) jazzed about doing some pickin.'

The truth is berries are a plant’s way of taking advantage of an animal’s sweet tooth.  

The fleshy berry is a cover-up for the seeds inside. These seeds, hidden in the berry, are consumed whole by the fruit-eaters as incidental parts of the meal. ... 

Color as an indicator of ripeness is an interesting adaptation of the berry. Without it, berries might be eaten before the seeds inside are fully developed.  

Of course, even a slightly green berry can taste good if sweetened in a pie or cobbler.  

Have you had your fingers pricked by a blackberry bush this summer? Have you laughed with your friends while showing off your blue smile? Did you “ruin” your favorite shirt with a big purple stain? Good for you.