When the kids were little, one of the first official events of the summer was to go strawberry picking. We tried many different farms and finally settled on the Bob Featherstone berry patch in Richmond mainly because when I asked if it was OK if the kids came in to pick and whether it was also OK if they ate a few while picking, the owners remarked, ‘well how can you pick these beautiful, delicious strawberries and NOT try a few?’ This sentiment was not shared by all the farmers let me tell you. Anyway, this family has had our business ever since and we only need a happy hour or so to gather enough pails to enjoy fresh strawberry shortcake that night and several jars of jam over the next year.

My parents had a giant raspberry patch in their back yard and whenever I couldn’t find the kids, invariably, if I went out to the rows of canes, at least one of them would be there, hiding in the leaves stuffing their mouth full of fruit. We also take advantage of the many, many wild fields of blackberry growing with abandon all over the lower mainland. These bushes are a bit tricky though. I cannot tell you how many times I have been completely absorbed reaching for a particularly bountiful branch of berries when out of nowhere I am head-first through a phantom spider web and the GIANT eight-legged architect of said structure is now scuttling through my hair and down my arm and I am in no way quietly or decorously brushing him gently off my body. Uh uh, p o s i t i v e l y h y s t e r i c a l ! So, needless to say, I approach these freebies with caution.

For me there is a distinct taste of summer. The lovely berries, watermelon, fresh cucumbers, BBQ coals even cut grass somehow makes it’s way into the flavours of every meal. From the ash flecked hotdogs and marshmallows toasted on a campfire to the perfectly grilled sear marks criss-crossing a massive rack of ribs, everything tastes better outdoors and cooked on an open flame. I did cook those berries in a crumble on the BBQ with great results and I have been dying to try out the southern style BBQ with smoke and heat transforming giant hunks of meat into fall apart tender shreds of deliciousness. Apologies to the veg-heads out there (no disrespect intended).

What will you be eating this summer? At the very least, make sure to savour some corn on the cob and an ice cold beer so that the dog days of summer leave you satisfied and happy that you spent another city summer here at the Coast. Maybe if the sun ever actually comes out this year, we can get to the savouring part!

Hang in there my soggy friends! The rain won’t last forever…hopefully.

Berry July!