berry-picking

Blueberry-tinted lips, snack breaks on big rocks, pretty light rays through the trees, forest smells, and tiny plant-life. These are my favourite things when blueberry picking. And of course getting lots of berries - both into my belly and my basket!

Berries and roaming in the woods are things that remind me of my childhood. They're both part of my life as an adult just as much, but still they remind me of my childhood. And they're things that could have been easy to take for granted. We used to have our own strawberries, raspberries, red currants, black currants and it was always only a short walk into the forest to get blueberries, stone brambles, lingonberries and so much more. Summer and autumn were always times for harvesting. We'd be picking berries at home, at my grandparents', wherever we were. I can see myself sitting on a tuft of woodland grass as the tiniest human when I was too tired to carry on but knew we weren't leaving yet. Blue, violet and red sweetness would stain my mouth and fingers. Usually clothes, too. Making strawberry milk and blueberry milk out of the first yield was and is my favourite. I loved being in the forest. Sometimes I'd go along to the woods with friends' families or bike to the woods with friends to find good berry spots just for ourselves. When school started my grandparents would come to visit just to help with the currants and they were in the bushes all day. I would have to get at least one cup full every day, and as I grew so did the size of the cup. We even went berry picking with school. Sometimes I took berries for friends in school. We'd eat berries, bake with berries, juice berries, jam berries and freeze berries. And all through winter we could continue having berries. Once I tried to recreate the rowanberry jelly I remember making with my grandma as a wee one. Mine didn't turn out too good without her instructions, but it was still a fun thing to do. A lot of the greatest memories I have involve berries and times spent in the woods.

Transitioning into adulthood has changed all that and made me appreciate how fortunate I was growing up. Now there's no abundance of berries and if I want them I have to buy them. Who knew that would be a defining thing in my life. I do still go berry picking, but whatever I collect usually stays at my mum's and, while I enjoy the time spent in the forest, I don't get to eat as much or experience the same kind of life I once did. Being more self-sustained and self-sufficient in this way is something that was just normal and something I'd rather be again. And it is definitely something that brought a kind of happiness into my life that isn't there anymore in this moment in time. But yet something that is easy to strive for and recapture at some point, I hope.

These are actually older pictures from a few years back because nowadays I usually miss blueberry picking season altogether. It's a little consolation that apparently this year hasn't been a good blueberry year and other people won't be having all the blueberries either. I am, however, looking forward to some forest frolicking come next summer/autumn and hopefully will be in Lapland during the right season!

Plus, here's a wee gem and a look into what I possibly look more often in the woods despite my claims of loving it (also, I don't have a weird boob, just a camera lens cap in my pocket, haha):