Unexpected Fruits

When I first started at Bethlehem someone pointed to the overgrown path next to the trash dumpster and said that the path is taken care of by one of the members and the path leads to a clearing.

Looking at the very overgrown path I assumed the clearing would be a small 10 feet by 10 feet space, no larger than a small bedroom. Boy was I wrong.

Last week the paths were cleared and I walked back there for the first time. The place is huge. Take a look for yourself.


And the best part (at least to me) WILD RASPBERRIES!
And not just one or two bushes but dozens of them. Ohh I love raspberries.

Last year I went raspberry picking twice at a pick your own place and ended up making 3 batches of red raspberry jam, plus a batch golden raspberry jam and some blackberry jam. I also then froze a bunch of berries that I used in my baking throughout the year. But now I have raspberries in my sort of back yard!

Over the last week I’ve been up to the clearing a few times to pick some raspberries, normally just a handful or two. And yesterday I picked about a quart and ate about half of them on my drive home.

I don’t think I’m going to be able to get in any jamming this season as it looks like most of the berries have already ripened and we are starting to pack. But next summer you can be sure there will be a lot of raspberry jam and baked goods coming out of my kitchen.