I'm Always Nesting: summer

7.25.2014

Blueberry Picking & Recipe Round Up

This morning the boys and I went blueberry picking at a farm a couple of miles from our house.

I love this place.

If I could pick a farm to live on, this would be it! They have acres upon acres of strawberries, blueberries, apples, corn, you name it. And one of the things I love most is that not all of the blueberries are together. There's a patch toward the front, then on the other side of an apple orchard there is another patch, all set on rolling hills.

Sometimes you need to step away from everyday life to find inspiration - something I feel I'm lacking lately.

The flowers, antlers and white clad shed was such a beautiful shot, I had to share it on Instagram.

We picked and picked until our buckets... er, my bucket was full. They ate more than they picked. Good help is hard to find. ;)

So now that we've picked 5 and a half pounds, what shall we do with them?

Here are just a few ideas that caught my eye on Pinterest:

Blueberry Oatmeal Smoothie

Blueberry Basil Dressing

Blueberry Cheesecake Roll-Ups

Lemon Blueberry Bread

Fresh Blueberry Lemonade

Frozen Yogurt Covered Blueberry Kabobs

Baked Blueberry Coconut Oatmeal

4 Ways to Preserve Blueberries

Blueberry Banana Yogurt Muffins - Gluten Free

We're off to make some "booby nama muffins" according to Ty.

Have a great weekend!

6.25.2014

Seven Scrumptious Ways to Enjoy Strawberries

It's berry season here in Michigan, and I couldn't be more excited! One of my favorite things to do with the boys in the summer is pick fresh berries - strawberries, raspberries, and blueberries - we pick 'em all!

Last year we picked at a farm right by our house, which was convenient, but the berries weren't the sweetest. This year we drove north a bit and found a fun farm with the juiciest strawberries, ice cream, and a small petting zoo.

The boys were each given a small basket to put their picked strawberries in, then they added theirs into my big basket. Matt, of course, was a big helper! He's 4, but for the majority of his life, he has turned play time into work time. I blame his dad. ;) It's a great quality to have though, especially in this situation. He emptied his basket into mine 4 or 5 times! Ty had fun too, although he didn't pick as many as the worker bee. In the end, we picked 11 pounds of fresh strawberries. Afterwards we ate ice cream for lunch (don't judge!) and loved on the baby pigs, sheep, goats, cow and bunny a little, before heading home.

That afternoon I got to work hulling and slicing strawberries in preparation for recipes that I had in my head. I've compiled a few recipes for you all to enjoy!