Feelin' blue?

Picking blueberries is one of those annual traditions we look forward to every year.

Normally I eat blueberries because well, they're good for you.

Buttttt I wouldn't say they are my favorite fruit- or even berry- for that matter.

They can sometimes taste like dirt.

BUT

~in season~

they are so sweet and amazing that you're like

"Is this really a blueberry??"

Anyhoo, we like to take the kids on down to the farm and pick blueberries for a morning.

It feels like the perfect start to summer!

This time James got to come with (we usually go during the week, but now that Pen is in school we needed to go on a weekend).

We also joined forces with their cute cousins.

Now, I've already made muffins...

cookies (recipe courtesy of my mama friend) soon to come

and I have a feeling teachers are going to be getting jam for end-of-year gifts. ;)

and can I just make blueberry pancakes like every morning??

Annnnd, I accidentally picked a few too many blueberries

sooooo $50 dollars later,

yeah some of these are goin' in the freezer!

whoops!

how funny is this face?!

we're there two minutes and they're already discussing politics!

wagon break

checking out the livestock

perfect picnic spot

blueberry selfie!

best hotcake recipe from my Nepenthe cookbook

muffins!!

Blueberries, the official kickoff to summer...

In my mind you know summer is beginning when its time to pick fresh Santa Barbara blueberries.
This year I decided to go a little early in the hopes of beating the heat and getting the best pick.
I was not disappointed.
Now we've done this little trip with the kids before, and before it was more of a nostalgia kind of a thing.
But I really love blueberries.
I try to incorporate them into as much of my normal menu as possible.
My oatmeal, my cereal, smoothies and salads.
So when I can get them fresh and so sweet- I go for it.
This year we had a rookie with us... sweet little 2 month old Everly Elle.
I was ALONE WITH ALL THREE GIRLS.
This was mission "get the blueberries and get out as soon as possible."
and that's exactly what we did.
There were so many I was pulling them off in fistfuls and literally throwing them in the bucket.
Penelope was a big help and filled a whole bucket almost entirely by herself.
Violet enjoyed eating the blueberries, and Everly- yes Everly was literally nursed smack dab in the middle of a blueberry field in the scorching sun.
... wish I would have got a shot of that one. whew!





So with two big buckets of blueberries we had a lot of fun trying different recipes.
We made the most delicious blueberry muffins ever. My friend Cherise shared that one with me.
They are literally called To Die For Blueberry Muffins... and they stand up to the name.
http://allrecipes.com/recipe/to-die-for-blueberry-muffins

I suggest doubling the recipe because these made like 8... so not enough.

the kids enjoyed getting in on the action

My friend Jenn over at sbhallfamily also gave me the 

MOST AMAZING BLUEBERRY OATMEAL COOKIE RECIPE EVER!

We devoured these quite easily...

sorry for the not so snazzy pic...

And of course a beautiful day in the California sunshine calls for a photo op.

enjoy our pic(k)s!