When it comes to berries, Nancy Wilson has it made. She and her husband Dennis grow strawberries, raspberries, blackberries and blueberries on Blues Berry Farm in Poverty Flats at the top of Cabbage Hill, east of Pendleton.
"When I talk to old-timers, they say the homestead up the road used to grow strawberries," Nancy says. "People used to back their Model-Ts up the old Cabbage Hill road to picnic here."
Poverty Flats, at 3,000 feet, has an unusually long growing season.
"We don't usually suffer from a spring frost," Nancy says. "In the fall we get warm air coming off the valley floor, so our last frost is usually October 15."
Blues Berry Farm includes an acre of blueberries, fenced for deer and netted to keep birds away from the luscious fruit. The location and growing season mean the Wilsons' blueberries are just coming on in late July, when berries from other local growers are winding down.
Blues Berry blueberries are available at the Pendleton Farmers Market until mid-September.
"When buying blueberries, you want them to be blue," Nancy says. Red backs - berries with a reddish tinge - and green berries are unripe and sour.
The Wilsons grow half a dozen different blueberry varieties. While many people look for large berries, Nancy prefers the smaller Olympia, with a tart-sweet taste that reminds her of huckleberries.
She recommends Spartan and Nui as large berries with excellent flavor.
"Some berries are sweet and bland, and some are just sweet," Nancy says. "People need to know what they like the best."
Blueberries freeze well and keep for six months to a year in the freezer. Clean the berries by picking out any twigs and flower ends. Nancy doesn't wash her berries, which she says dilutes the flavor.
Spread the berries out on a cookie sheet and freeze for a few hours until solid. Then pack them in freezer bags. Berries packed like this stay loose in the bag and can be removed in small quantities later on.
"Frozen blueberries thaw out pretty fast and hold their shape better than any other berry," Nancy says.
She uses blueberries partially thawed for baking and other recipes and offers a tip. Coating the frozen berries with a little flour before adding them to a batter helps them hold their shape and color.
On a warm afternoon, Nancy's daughter Lynaea Brand and two of her children, Meisha, 7, and Ezra, 9, were out in the blueberry patch, eating fresh berries the very best way - straight from the bush to their mouths.
"I don't mind cooking with frozen berries in the winter," Lynaea said. "But it seems sacrilegious to cook berries in the summer. It's best to eat them fresh."
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