Mmm, the Blueberries are coming along.

The first of the blueberries are ripening. It will be another week or two before harvesting starts. In the meantime...

When you live on a farm and experience fresh berries, whether they are blackberries, strawberries, red and black raspberries, or these blueberries, the stuff that are available in the store look nasty and insanely overpriced. I don't think the general public knows how much supermarkets are marking up the prices because I can promise you, farmers don't get a lot of money for the amount that they sell in the market.

If you can do it, I would recommend you find local farmers because when you can buy directly from them for food that you can preserve by canning or freezing, it will be worth your time. My grandma sells a significant portion of her harvest to her repeat customers. Some of them have been dropping by her farm long before I was born. There's a a family who lives in Chicago that own a summer house here in Michigan. At least once a summer, they come in and buy a bunch of stuff. Now her adult son does it. There's one lady in Benton Harbor who comes by and we grew collard greens pretty much just for her until word leaked out and now we grow rows of it to sell to locals and on the market. So, yes, do find yourself a local grower. You'll love the food.