By Rita R. Robison, Consumer Specialist, Blogging at The Survive and Thrive Boomer Guide

Strawberries

My strawberry crop is waning now. I was great this year.

The amazing thing is that I didn’t plant a strawberry patch. Last year, somehow, a nice thicket of strawberries appeared in my front yard. They must have come from the container of strawberries I had in the backyard.

The strawberries are right next to a patch of wild strawberries I’ve had for years. It was amazing to gaze down at the plants and see plump strawberries instead of the cone-shaped wild strawberry shape.

It’s been a treat to eat handfuls of strawberries daily before I set out to do gardening and yard work.

Raspberries

I’m still harvesting bowls of raspberries from my raspberry patch.

About five years ago, I bought a single raspberry plant at the Olympia Food Coop. Since then, it’s turned into a raspberry patch.

I’ve frozen two quarts and nine pints of raspberries. Since I’m making it a priority this year to grow food, I’m freezing any raspberries that I don’t eat off the plants.

Mulberries

After several days of rain last week, I went out into my yard and was surprised to see my mulberry tree in full production.

Unfortunately, most of the berries this year are up high, requiring climbing a ladder to pick them. I’ve picked one colander full, and they’re freezing on trays right now. Tomorrow, I’ll put them in jars.

What do you do with mulberries? See my article “Here We Go ‘Round the Mulberry Tree.”

I think I’ll try a mulberry pie made with stevia, a natural sweetener.

Strawberries, raspberries, blueberries, and other berries are good for your health. See my article “Blueberries, Raspberries, Other Berries Enhance Health” for details.

I’m having such joy in my yard with the sunshine, which is often lacking in the rainy Pacific Northwest, and wonderful, delicious berries. It’s especially enjoyable after working hard planting a garden this year to grow more of my own food.

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