Blueberries
I went blueberry picking both days this weekend. It was tough work! Strawberry and raspberries seemed easier to pick a few baskets worth. Blueberries definitely take a bit longer. The first day I went to Canaan Blueberry and picked one 4-liter basket. This is not an organic farm so I made sure to wash the berries well when I got home. I froze most but left some out to snack on.
The next day I went to Rubicon Farms which is all organic. The first thing I noticed was how the berry bushes had a couple ants, spiders, and ear wigs crawling around. Definitely no pesticides used on these ones! I only saw a couple of ants and spiders on some of the overly-ripe berries while the perfectly ripe berries were clean and easy to pick. I spent a bit more time this day and picked three 4-liter baskets, a mix of two varieties of berries. The larger berries were easy to pick but the small berries were so tasty it was worth a bit of extra effort. I also got some local honey while I was there.
Freezer Status
My deep-freezer is now full of berries and meat, just how it should be. There’s about 12 liters of strawberries, 4 pints of raspberries and now about 14 liters of blueberries. I have some beef, lamb, pork and chicken left over too. All my organ meats are kept in the door shelves so you can’t see them in this picture. I keep them handy to make sure I eat them often.
Garden
We got our first red sweet pepper and have plenty more ripening on the plants. Our 2 varieties of hot pepper plants are starting to get more and we’ll get to taste test those soon. I have to say it takes some patience growing tomatoes and peppers. They stay green for so long, it’s hard to resist picking them too early.
Dairy-free
I have been dealing with acne issues for a long time and lately nothing I have tried has helped. I did end up giving up on the Oil Cleansing Method early because it was causing more breakouts. My next plan is to try a month (August) dairy-free – no yogurt, no cheese, no butter. I tried this before but it was around the same time as going off the birth control pill so hormones may have been all out of whack anyway. So this time I hope with making this one change I will notice a difference. I’ll post more detailed info of my struggles with acne, what I have tried, and why I’m choosing to do this. I’ll also post up a few raw milk recipes I had been indulging in this summer before switching to only posting some good dairy-free SCD legal recipes in August.
You beat me to the post. We did some blueberry picking this weekend, too. We got just about a gallon, since it was an outing for the kids and I’m not into the child labor thing (yet). I’ll be posting mine probably tomorrow.
I plan on going blueberry picking next weekend in northern ontario wildblueberries the best.
My acene breakouts were caused by tomatos due to the acidity. Have you thought of giving up those and seeign if it helps?
@Drew @ How To Cook Like Your Grandmother Can’t wait to see your post then! I saw lots of kids the first day with their cute little baskets. It took my friend and I so long to pick one 4-liter basket each, I can’t imagine getting too many while keeping the kids interested.
@B-L I tried no nightshades for two weeks with absolutely no difference. And after that I kept tomatoes to a minimum (maybe one every 2 weeks?), still no difference. I’ll have a post up this week about what I have tried, maybe people will have more suggestions. I’m very jealous of your wild blueberries, those are the best!
Dang I am jealous of your stocked freezer! Such a beautiful sight!!
Oh man! That stinks that you think it may be dairy. Do you eat only raw dairy or do you do pasteurized too? We noticed that we can’t tolerate pasteurized at all, but raw is fine. Also, I can’t remember if you tried this or not, but I use honey in the shower to wash my face too. It has antibacterial properties and has really helped clear up my skin. I notice if I even skip a day!
Goose would drool over your blueberries. She likes the tiny ones too and loves them frozen. She’s very particular about blueberries, actually! I should search for a place to pick them around here.
Your pepper is gorgeous!! We have one that size (our first!!) and it is still totally green. I’m waiting….. 🙂
@Chickiepea I was having only raw sheep milk and yogurt made from it. So i really do need to try completely dairy-free for a while. I have never heard of honey for washing your face, do you just rub it around and then rinse? I’ll add that to my list of things to try. I’m going to write a post on everything I have tried so far, and hopefully get some more ideas.
I love small, frozen blueberries. I’m particular about that too haha. Stay patient for your pepper, ours took over a week to turn red like that.
I just smear it on and then wash it off. I use it for my arm pits too, since it is supposed to kill bacteria and thus kill the odor. It does seem to help with that too. I’ve switched to using coconut oil for deodorant now too instead of commercial deodorant and so far, so good! 🙂
I was just reading something about breakouts that related to food and though of you, but I am drawing a blank at the moment- darn!! I will try to think of what it was!!
Hi,
I found your blog via a link on Primal Toad.
I keep my spare freezer well-stocked, too. One thing that has helped to more efficiently use the contents is plastic ventilated boxes (from Target, The Container Store or a similar store with a good housewares dept). I can fit one larger and one smaller on each freezer shelf and they act a bit like drawers – I can pull a box out and get what I need without having to move a bunch of packages. I put similar type items in each labeled box so that I can easily find what I need without holding the freezer door open too long. This way there is less likelihood that I’ll “forget” about items that are at the bottom and back of the freezer, too. This system works for chest freezers, too.
@Againstthegrain Interesting system. My upright freezer is fairly new to me so I’m still enjoying how easy everything is to access. But, if I ever find I have a problem finding certain cuts of meat or organizing it better, I’d definitely try something like that.