Berrypicking anyone?

**iida** · 05-03-2007, 07:41 AM

One of the most frugal things you can do here in Finland, is picking wild berries (and mushroom). We have forests full of wild blueberries, rasberries, lingonberries, cloudberries and cranberries. We have very good wild strawberries also, but they are rare. Ofcourse we have planted strawberries and I have to say they are the best I have ever tasted anywhere.

Anyone else picking berries? I would like to do it more, but my freezer is always too full. Would like to buy a bigger one.

Eating local food is good for environment too. We have berries but the only fruit growing this north is apple. Well, plums and cherries also. So, I have been thinking that maybe we should eat more berries and less fruit.

iida

**miss_thrifty** · 05-03-2007, 07:58 AM

Here in the Atlantic coast of Canada we usually go strawberry picking in July and blueberry picking in August. I try to get some froze every year. Doest last long though , lol kids lol.
I also freeze string beans and corn.

**warramra** · 05-03-2007, 08:01 AM

We do pick-your-own from local farmers. It is cheaper and the kids have a lot of fun doing it. We went this week to pick strawberries and they were under half-the-price of the store berries. We got 19 pounds and stocked the freezer. In a couple months we will pick blueberries.

We don't have many wild/free options around here and I don't trust myself with picking mushrooms since there are so many copycats that are poisonous. But you are right it is a inexpensive alternative.

**wanderlusting** · 05-03-2007, 08:08 AM

The town I live in has lots of bramble/blackberry/rasperry plants. I learned to be quick to pick them-otherwise they're all gone by the time I want them! I refuse to buy them at the price the grocery stores want for them!

**cheriede** · 05-03-2007, 08:22 AM

My neighbor has raspberries and they usually let us pick as much as we want. I'm not a big fan of raspberries, but my children love them. We also go pick blueberries in July and it's definitely cheaper than buying them in the store. I usually pay $1.19lb and in the store it's 2.50 for a pint. Needless to say, I prefer to pick my own and stock up for the entire year.

**JustJoy** · 05-03-2007, 08:38 AM

When I was growing up we had a field behind our house with tons of wild raspberries bushes. I would pick coffee cans full! I really miss it.

**FrugalMomof3** · 05-03-2007, 08:40 AM

I am green with envy, nothing like that near me so if we want berries we have to buy them from the grocery store

**YankeeMom** · 05-03-2007, 08:54 AM

Our berry-picking season doesn't start until late June, early July. We have wild blackberry bushes in our backyard. I also planted a blueberry bush this spring. There are a couple of pick & pay berry farms around here that are a much better deal/quality than those in the grocery stores. Plus you get a family activity out of it

**acidcookie** · 05-03-2007, 10:26 AM

I am really missing growing up in the Pacific NW where blackberries naturally grow everywhere and I could wander in our backyard and pick buckets full. My best friend I used to just run around in the bushes and pig out on blackberries.

**julieb** · 05-03-2007, 10:42 AM

My neighbor lets us pick apples in the fall free of charge otherwise we do the pay and pick places for berries.

**Missy** · 05-03-2007, 10:45 AM

I have a fall gold berry bush that we generally get a pint or two off of every year.

**mommy4ever** · 05-03-2007, 11:04 AM

While growing up we used to pick wild strawberries, blueberries, saskatoons, cranberries, pin cherries, choke cherries. It was great. Now it seems harder andharder tof ind them.

We live in the city, which is part of it, but not around where I grew up. We do find wild raspberries when we camp. I have an apple tree and rhubarbs in back yard that I cultivate. I'm trying to get a raspberry and strawberry patch going.

My dad tends to bring us saskatoons every year, but I much prefer wild blueberries.

**wanderlusting** · 05-03-2007, 11:57 AM

Originally Posted by mommy4ever

While growing up we used to pick wild strawberries, blueberries, saskatoons, cranberries, pin cherries, choke cherries. It was great. Now it seems harder andharder tof ind them.

We live in the city, which is part of it, but not around where I grew up. We do find wild raspberries when we camp. I have an apple tree and rhubarbs in back yard that I cultivate. I'm trying to get a raspberry and strawberry patch going.

My dad tends to bring us saskatoons every year, but I much prefer wild blueberries.

What are saskatoons????

**AtHomeWithMAMA** · 05-04-2007, 03:59 PM

i'm so jealous

wish I could come over and pick berries with you! When I lived in Oregon I had this divine opportunity, but living in FL isn't so great for wild berries... unless I just don't know where to look??