Summertime has FINALLY arrived in the Pacific Northwest. The last time I posted, I was beginning to wonder if it would ever get here. The rain and chilly weather just seemed to drag on, and then just shortly after the 4th of July it began to warm up. Our trips to the pool began to increase and before I knew it, the beautiful blue sky of the Oregon summer was showing up on a daily basis. You have to have visited this wonderful state in the summertime to be able to visualize the cerulean shade I'm talking about. Take the Cerulean Crayola Crayon to white paper and you will see what I see everyday. It's amazing. We have no humidity so the sky is this color from early morning until the sun begins to set in the evening. It's one of the best parts of our summers here. Our winters are not for the "seasonally disaffected". It usually rains from Halloween until the 4th of July. It's maddening sometimes. I often have to seek sunshine in February or March so that I can last until summer. The beautiful blue sky that signals summer is here is a welcomed sight. Our temps have been lovely as well. Ninety is a long shot at this point and I am very grateful for that as we do not have AC.
Besides the weather, the other part of Summertime in Oregon that is absolutely wonderful are the berries. This is berry heaven. Every variety you can ever imagine is grown in this great state. Because summer arrived so late means that the berry crop will not peter out anytime soon. Strawberries are just finishing up. The "seascape" variety is at the height of its season and they are really tasty. The "queen" of the strawberry set are the "Hood" variety originally grown on the slopes of our very own Mt. Hood in the Hood River Valley. These little berries are just as sweet as can be and are much anticipated. Then come the Willamette Red Raspberries which to me taste like pure sunshine. If the sun had a taste it would be these little gems. Then my favorite the Marion Blackberry. God's reward for living in the Great State of Oregon. This is my reward for surviving the yucko wet winter. There are of course other varieties of blackberries, but none of them are as sweet and wonderful as the Marionberry. There are also Loganberries, and Boysenberries and black raspberries as well. August brings us the hearty Blue Berry which lasts until almost September. Then alas, berry season is done and the long days of summer are not to last much longer. Seems a shame. :( My daughter and I discovered the joy of berry picking this year and as it turns out, $1.25 per pound was a wonderful surprise in these tough economic times.
This year our berry season will go on and on. Last winter my mother sent me a pot. As soon as I saw the pot I remembered it. This was one of the many pots that my dear little Meem Mom used to cook her fabulous mashed potatoes and other delights of my childhood. I'm sure she used it to make her famous Beach Plum Jelly and this year we have made jam in it. My Aunt Candy sent me a wonderful cook book for my birthday last year. In it, is a marvelous recipe for homemade jam. There are only natural ingredients in this jam. The fruit pectin comes from a shredded green apple, skin and all. It cooks down with the fruit and jells it naturally. My daughter and I dubbed July "July Jam Month." The first batch was strawberry and the event was "The First Annual 4th of July Jam - Star Spangled Strawberry". This was followed by "July Jam's Razzle Dazzle Raspberry" and ending with "July Jam's Ma-velous Marionberry." August will find us ankle deep in blueberry syrup for our winter pancakes and waffles and Bread and Butter Pickles. All of these lovely treats to be whipped up in "The Pot". Our garage shelves will be full of goodies from the summer when the rains come and the cold winds blow. We'll open up those jars and just for a little while we will remember the beautiful blue sky, berry picking on a warm sunny summer day, evening kickball games, swimming in the pool, and all the wonderful things that remind us of Summertime in Oregon and we will look forward to next summer!
Cheers!
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