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Blueberry Season

Backyard Blueberries

Blueberry season is here, and I’m excited. I’m not talking about just any blueberries. These are the blueberries in our backyard. Surprisingly enough, they seem to be surviving my clumsy green thumb and actually producing quite well. At this point, there’s probably no reason for Sakuma Brothers to be worried about any competition, but I’m pretty pleased with our little crop. It actually reminds me of visiting my grandma when I was younger and helping her pick the blueberries in her front yard. If I remember correctly, I think I had a rule about 2 in my mouth for every one that went in the bucket. It seemed to serve me well then, so I might as well stick with it. In fact, the picture up above is from our first gathering. I know it’s a little hard to tell exactly how many of them there are when the picture is zoomed in so far, but trust me it’s quite a haul. There are at least 3 handfuls. Isn’t that the official way to measure a crop?

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Vacation

My original intent with this post was to mention how beautiful our garden is right now. So many things are putting on a show, as my mom likes to say. I’ve been on vacation or in Anacortes for the past two weeks and I love coming home to see new color, shapes and blossoms popping up. It is surprising what has popped up; things that I thought were gone, but decided to wait and see are now making me smile.

While in Anacortes I had an opportunity to hang out with friends that I rarely see. Kara had a party in my honor and did not disappoint from start to finish. From crab, salmon and a special version of Know-Yr-Own to a late night with lots of laughs, many memories were created. (KXPX, anyone?)

At one point we were floating around Trafton on The Party Barge (Yes, The Party Barge) turning circles and screaming as if our lives depended on it. It was a flashback to my childhood and I realized how amazing all my friends are. (I’m lacking pictures from these hours….they would’ve been good ones. Lara, Deb & Nicole took over and manned the PB (Party Barge in case you are wondering) like sailors.

Cora and Chaya are troopers to the extreme. They showed up a bit late because Chach had to work and so they didn’t get to get on The Party Barge when the rest of us piled on. Needless to say, C&C showed about the same time us Party Bargers had figured out how to steer and were happily floating in the middle of the lake. Did that hold back my wonderful cousins back from enjoying The Party Barge? Nope, not the Glass sisters!! After yelling back and forth across the lake they (They meaning Chaya, as there was only one paddle, Cora sat in the front of the boat deciphering our shrieks from the Barge.) canoed out to the middle of the lake to join us. I’m sure all the neighbors loved listening to a bunch of 20 somethings (okay, we’re mostly closer to 30) squeak, squawk and bellow to our heart’s content. Thanks to Shirley who provided us with her house and Party Barge.

Beyond being on the lake at Shirley’s, we had a fabulous night. Many, many stories. Not many are blog appropriate. (one word: Tiffin) I’ve realized that it is easy to go on vacation or do something super fun and exciting, but coming back and typing about it is a whole different thing. Once I attempt to write about the Oregon Coast, New York or gardening with my mom, I become acutely aware that I am no longer on vacation or doing the thing that made me want to write about it in the first place. That said, I’m off to do something else.

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Panini Paradise

To be honest I’d never had a panini sandwich until recently, but fortunately for me, we were gifted with a Panini maker which has put me firmly on the bandwagon. I don’t know if I’m the last one to discover these great tasting sandwiches, but just in case there are some people out there who’d like to give them a try here’s the recipe that we’ve been using. I think it came from the Weight Watchers website. It’s quite tasty, and considering the recipe’s source it must not be too bad for your waist line either.

1 tomato
1 1/2 tsp red wine vinegar
1/2 tsp olive oil
1/4 tsp dried oregano
1/8 tsp table salt
1/8 tsp pepper
Italian bread (Went with garlic sourdough last time, and it was quite excellent)
mozzarella cheese, thinly sliced
1 clove of garlic
1 cup arugula or basil leaves
Instructions
  1. preheat panini pan to medium high heat
  2. in cup, stir vinegar, oil, oregano, salt and pepper
  3. brush mixture on each slice of bread
  4. layer 1/4 cheese, sliced tomato, and arugula or basil leaves
  5. add layered sandwich to panini pan and cook until golden brown. You will need to flip the sandwich half way through to toast both sides.
  6. Repeat until stomach cannot take any more.