Many of you may not know this: not all blueberries grow on trees!

Every August for two weeks, I worked in a field in Maine raking blueberries.

I’d get up around 5:00 a.m. to be on the field by 6, and work until noon, earning about $10 a day. A full 5-gallon pail was worth $5, so you learned quickly that every bucket mattered. My Nan would drive me to and from and never fussed about the early mornings as she knew I wanted to work.

And the work didn’t stop when the bucket was full. You had to carry it to the cleaning machine and run it through to remove the leaves, twigs, and debris, that bucket was heavy for a 13, 14 year old kid!

It was hard, back-breaking manual labor—and it was how I earned money to buy my school clothes.

I still have a scar on my leg from getting tangled in the wet twine marking the rows one early morning. And then there were the hornets’ nests hidden in the ground. Nothing like a little added incentive to keep moving. 😂

Looking back, I realize those two weeks each August gave me something far more valuable than the money.

They taught me that hard work is sometimes uncomfortable. That perseverance means showing up again the next morning when your body is tired, sore, and quite often sunburned. That you earn what you get. And that there is dignity in doing work that isn’t glamorous—but needs to be done.

This, my friends, is manual labor that truly builds character.

And maybe that’s why, all these years later, I still appreciate the value of rolling up your sleeves, putting your head down, and getting the job done.

The guy in this video is way better at it than me, I wasn’t really strong enough (or coordinated enough) to “sweep” like he is, I was more of a scooper 😜

https://www.linkedin.com/posts/tasteatlas_wild-blueberry-harvesting-by-joshpondmaine-activity-7498683589493014528-ChAu?utm_source=social_share_send&utm_medium=member_desktop_web&rcm=ACoAAAFym4sBwEsjPpns2wS6cwSzq1mxbCdku0A

Fresh Maine blueberries re fantastic to bake with.  If you don’t have fresh you can use Wyman’s frozen blueberries as well.  Whenever I am stressed and bake with blueberries, it brings me back to simpler days in Maine and makes my heart full.

Blueberry Cobler

1 cup self-rising flour

1 cup granulated sugar

1 cup milk (2% or higher)

½ cup (1 stick) salted butter, melted

1 teaspoon vanilla

2 cups fresh blueberries

¼ cup sugar (for sprinkling on top)

Preheat oven to 350F degrees.

Spray a 9×9-inch square baking dish with nonstick cooking spray and set aside.

In a medium bowl, stir together 1 cup self-rising flour with 1 cup granulated sugar.

Add in 1 cup milk and 1/2 cup (1 stick) salted butter, melted and 1 teaspoon vanilla extract. Stir until combined. 

Spread mixture into a prepared baking dish and top evenly with 2 cups fresh blueberries. Finally sprinkle the top evenly with 1/4 cup sugar.

Bake on the middle oven rack uncovered for 45 minutes – hour, until the top is a light golden brown and a toothpick comes out clean. 

Allow to slightly cool before serving.

Serve with vanilla ice cream for an extra sinful treat!