Berry Pickin'

Thoughts on robbing fruit trees in the alley on the walk home? 

My thoughts are that alley fruit is obviously fair game. I definitely wouldn't steal fruit from a tree off of the branches that dangled into someone's yard, but seriously, this fruit is just going to fall into the alley and consequently rot and then cause a major bee issue. 

So I think I'm doing everyone, and I mean EVERYONE a favor, by helping myself. 

You're welcome, everyone.

In other news, we have this magical fruit in Montana called the huckleberry. My entire life, I thought Huckleberry Finn was really just a camp-y name in a spectacular children's book. Not so. They are real and they are FANTASTIC. This summer, I made it my personal mission to pick my own huckleberries because not only are they magical, they also cost an arm and a leg if you buy them from someone who gathered them on their own. 

 

Huckleberry patches, as it turns out, are very serious real estate. People keep their spots a secret and will shed blood over their patch should an intruder come around. Also, bears REALLY enjoy huckleberries, so there is an added degree of danger. With all this information in mind, I wholeheartedly accepted the challenge. 

Sadly, I failed. 

I mean, I didn't completely fail, I went once, at the very beginning of the season. Me being, well, me, I forgot a container, so I had to use a cup I had in my car. There is a relatively well-known area pretty close to where I live where these berries are known to thrive. On public land. (Notice the veiled secrecy?) So I wandered up one day with a sparkle in my eye and a dream in my heart. 

Now, in prime season, these berries are almost the size of blueberries. When I went, they weren't even the size of a pea, which was a tad disappointing. 

But, they were still delicious. 

However. The single cupful that I gathered won't be enough to get me through the winter. Who am I kidding, they barely lasted me a single day. So, I'll once again be feeding my addiction by purchasing them from the Hmong at the farmer's market. For like 15 dollars a pound. Worth it.

I never new fruit could be so intense. 

somtimes, i wish i were actually a cowgirl.