Thanks to Kaitlyn, we had a berry picking adventure. It turns out my daughter can identify good berry picking spots from far away.
We were walking on the dump road, and she pointed and said, "there are berries there." She was right. I asked her how she learned to do that. She just shrugged and said she figured it out. I think it's genetic.
This was our spot. About a mile outside of town.
My favorite berry picking posture is laying down on my belly. I pick all the berries within reach before sliding myself forward. I'm sure I look ridiculous, but it keeps my back from hurting. It also puts my face right in the tundra. I can breathe in all the subarctic freshness. Ahhhhhh.
At first we saw lots of blackberries (also called crowberries). Then we started finding blueberries and cranberries.
Note to readers: I didn't take any good pictures of the blueberries and cranberries. I thought I had some in my first post about picking berries. I was wrong. This blog is lacking in blueberry and cranberry pictures, and it's all my fault. I apologize.
Kaitlyn was a good berry picking companion, even though she ate more berries than she put in her bucket.
You'll notice she's wearing rubber boots. That's because the tundra can be soggy in places.
I picked almost a gallon in about three hours. Probably a lower than average picking rate for someone in Brevig Mission, but I was still kind of proud. 🙂
The biggest mistake I made was putting the blackberries, blueberries, and cranberries in one bucket. Sorting them when I washed them at home took for-ev-er. Next time I'm sticking to one type of berry or using multiple buckets.
Great walk outside town and a great chance to get out before it gets cold. Here's to hoping Kaitlyn has her magic berry sighting abilities next year too!