Blueberry Picking Has Begun

Large bunches of ripe blueberries to pick

This morning we got up early to pick blueberries on a farm in Delta.

Emma Lea Farms announced that today was the start of blueberry season and we decided we'd be one of the first to pick these brilliant berries. The weather was perfect with some clouds and about 15 degrees.

The farm has many rows of blueberry bushes

Traffic was relatively light -- most people staying at home or going to watch World Cup parties to watch Canada play against Morocco in Houston, Texas.

We drove south for about 40 minutes and our journey just before reaching the farm included going across a wooden bridge that only had a single lane; it was manned by two people standing on either side to direct traffic.

The farm was started in 1885 by Joseph Tamboline, an immigrant from Italy. He and his wife Emma started by farming mostly grain and hay, and used heavy work horses instead of tractors.

By 1954, Tamboline's granddaughter and her husband bought the farm and had award-winning dairy cattle, and grew grain, hay, potatoes, peas, sugar beet, beans and corn. In 1994, the farm marked its 100th anniversary with recognition from the provincial government.

Conditions were perfect for picking this morning

In 1975, the fourth generation took over, and added new crops, like strawberries, rutabaga, and cabbage. Today the fifth generation grow strawberries, raspberries, blueberries, tayberries, boysenberries, and blackberries, as well as vegetables like beans, peas, rutabagas, beets and cabbage.

The farm also raises cattle, chicken, and three rescue miniature donkeys.

At the entrance, visitors are asked to choose which container they wish to purchase, from small cardboard boxes, to large buckets to put their berries in. For $48 I got an 8L bucket. It looks daunting to fill it up with blueberries, but in about an hour and a half we were able to fill it and have a large heaping mound on top.

Being the first batch of visitors to pick blueberries, we entered rows of blueberry bushes and there were lots of ripe berries ready to be picked. They were firm and easy to pick. Periodically we would move to another row, but in general most of them had medium to large-sized blueberries. 

Lots of berries to pick (and eat)!

The kids couldn't resist eating the blueberries as they picked them, while I focused on the task at hand! Yes I'm serious about my berries!

By the time we left just after 11am, many people were coming to pick the berries, but the temperatures were starting to rise, and mosquitoes were buzzing around looking for victims.

We left at a good time with a giant bucket filled with blueberries. At home I sifted through the berries, picking out the green stems and some unripe ones, and placed the unwashed blueberries in plastic bags that I later put in the freezer. 

Sadly we later found out at lunch that Morocco was winning 2-0, and then the final score was 3-0. Most fans are just thrilled to see Canada advance to the final 16! What an amazing run!

Convenient Krispy Kreme

Krispy Kremes are easier to get in Vancouver

Fans of Krispy Kreme doughnuts in Metro Vancouver were excited to see it open a second store in a convenient location -- Cambie and Broadway. 

The first location, which opened in 2004, is all the way out in Delta, about a 29km drive that would take about an hour and a half. 

For many who work and live in Vancouver, this location will be convenient for those who take the Canada Line, or bus along Broadway. 

This box needs some love handles!

Krispy Kreme has 24 locations across Canada, with nine locations in Toronto alone! Going head-to-head with Tim Horton's...

This latest Krispy Kreme location opened just before Christmas and hardcore enthusiasts of the American brand of doughnuts were willing to line up 12 hours before the shop opened at 7am on December 16.

This busy intersection also has a Jollibee across the street, making it, as one person commented on social media, "a deadly combo," with doughnuts and fried chicken steps away from each other.

Yesterday I happened to be in the neighbourhood and wandered to Krispy Kreme to check it out in the afternoon. I was surprised to see the shop is actually quite small, but it turns out the doughnuts are made in Delta and transported over twice daily.

The customer in front of me just bought one original glazed doughnut, while I was admiring all the other flavours: maple glazed, strawberry iced with sprinkles, glazed lemon filled, raspberry cheesecake, and caramel kreme crunch to name a few.

In the end I got three: the original glazed, chocolate ice custard filled, and glazed raspberry filled. They were placed in a box for half a dozen doughnuts and I carefully carried it home on the bus.

As soon as my dad saw the box he got all excited and ready to try them!

Following the recommendation on the box, I microwaved them for eight seconds, though nine or 10 seconds would have been OK too.

The original tasted the same, though if it was fresh, it would have been even better. 

I didn't have a chance to try the others because my dad ate the entire chocolate ice custard one, and late ate the raspberry doughnut too!

Krispy Kreme

519 West Broadway

Vancouver, BC

236 466 5433

Going Local Picking Blueberries

 

Blueberries are now ripe and ready for picking at the farm

Every year when I used to visit Vancouver I only had time to see friends and family for lunches and dinners, do a few errands in between and then I had to fly back to Hong Kong.

Now that I'm here I have a lot of time to do some summer activities, like berry picking!

I missed the strawberry season, but now blueberries are ripe and we went to Emma Lea Farms in Delta to pick them.

Blueberry bushes at Emma Lea Farm in Ladner

This farm has been around since 1885 in Ladner. To get there you have to cross an old wooden bridge which is quaint, but can only hold one car at a time.

When we drove there and stopped (because cars were crossing in the opposite direction), a black SUV passed us and my cousin had to honk at them to stop.

The car stopped in its tracks, finally realising what was going on and that we didn't stop for no reason.

And yes, that car went to the same farm as us, and yes they were Chinese...

The farm announced that blueberries were ready to be picked yesterday and we came today, the weather not too hot and a bit of wind, and most importantly we found a parking spot under a tree. We slathered on the sunscreen even though we wore a hat and long sleeves.

To keep things consistent, the farm sells different sized buckets for people to pick berries -- they aren't weighed after. A large bucket is over CAD$50, and I got a medium-sized one that holds 7 litres for CAD$42.

Don't forget to pick blueberries near the ground

We walked out to the fields past where pumpkins were being grown -- for the fall. Then there were several rows of blueberry bushes! We immediately got to work and it wasn't hard to find ripe blueberries. Of course the kids had fun picking and eating them at the same time. They also encountered spiders and learned to leave them alone.

Riper blueberries were in the middle of the row and we kept moving along picking as we went. It was also handy the farm had wagons we could borrow for the kids when they were tired.

It wasn't until we were almost finished filling the larger bucket that we found even bigger blueberries. I bought the second bucket and began picking these bigger berries. In a very short time two of us adults were able to fill it very quickly. It was such a fun thing to do with the kids and wasn't too hot either.

Did I mention the vast majority of the other pickers either spoke Mandarin or Cantonese?

Does this look heart-shaped to you?

In under two hours we picked a lot of blueberries. I put mine into four plastic bags and in the freezer.

Nom nom nom all summer...