Berry Picking

Last week our family went in search for blueberries.  We hiked up to Glen Alps and started to scout out the area.  We came across what I thought was tons of low bush blueberries so we started to have a field day thinking we had hit the mother load.  After we had more than a bucket full, this older man came up to us with his empty bucket.  He asked us what we were picking.  We responded..."blueberries".  He looked at us kind of funny and ask if he could take a look.  He informed us that they were crowberries.  My heart dropped!  The whole time I was picking, I was thinking of all the yummy syrups, jams, pies, ect that I could make with these small blueberries. My aunt has the BEST blueberry orange pie that I have been craving!!  Yes Aunt Doris...I'm speaking of you! We kept picking until we had a bucket and a half full.  

Crowberry (Empetrum) is a small genus of dwarf evergreen shrubs that bear edible fruit.The fruit is a fairly dry black berry, smaller than the alpine bearberry, but with somewhat better flavour, and looks  similar to a blueberry.

The kids were very cold.  On the mountain, the wind was bitter.

Our stash.  After we went picking, we stopped to pick raspberries as well.

Rhubarb from our yard.

I looked online for recipes that I could make with our crowberries.  Instead of jam, I decided to make a crowberry pie.  Neil said it was one of the best pies he had ever had.  I had him take 2 slices to his Russian coworkers and they loved it as well.  Neil thought it had a Christmas taste to it.  He said there was a hint of evergreen.  It was very good and we want to go and pick more to freeze for a future pie.

 They have the most amazing mushrooms up here.  This was growing in our yard and reminds me of Alice in Wonderland.