Gifts from Europe

I was glad to have my sister Karen and her daughter Melanie visiting me from Montreal this week. They are driving home today. I will be happy to get my little condo back, things get a bit topsy turvy with all the extra things about, but I will miss their company. We had good fun talking, shopping for things they can't get in Montreal and we got in a few daytrips too.

Karen liked my shortbread mould and found another just like it when I brought her out to the Beaches. I haven't used mine yet and I am not sure how to...maybe someone can tell me. Do you bake the dough in the mould or do you pat it in and flip it out on a tray to bake?

Melanie brought her auntie (me!) gifts from her trip to Europe. She toured a number of countries in 17 days--she had a great time. France, Germany, Austria, Italy, Holland and Switzerland where she says she would love to live. She brought me cheese from Amsterdam and wine from Austria.

The cheese tastes like Gouda. Under the cellophane it is encased in green wax; it has a nice buttery taste and there are herbs in it. You can see the package got a little squashed in Melanies suitcase but that didn't affect the taste. I can almost read the label, Dutch seems to have words that sound similar to English. This cheese is made with raw milk. I am not sure what knoflook or ui is, but there is parsley, curry and pepper in this cheese. Quite enjoyable! I am hoping Gerda will come along and tell me what else is in it.

This white wine was crisp and refreshing, it went nicely with the herby cheese. The bottle came with a glass stopper instead of a cork. I don't know if they use glass stoppers in all the wine in Austria or even Europe. Here we have changed from cork to a kind of plastic. I am going to keep the glass stopper for other bottles. It fits very snugly.

I Got My Thrill On Blueberry Hill

Come early to pick blueberries! That's what they told Bernadette when she called the pick-your-own orchard. She was at my house before 9:30 Saturday morning and we set off. We enjoyed the drive out to Wilmot Orchards in Newcastle, about a 40 minute drive from here.

We brought our containers, me a colander, Bernadette a colander and a plastic bucket. She managed to fill both her containers in the time I filled one but I think I was eating more as we picked.

We "weigh in" the empty containers before picking. If you don't have a container they will sell you one and if you change your mind about picking, they will sell you the blueberries.

They sent us over to pick at Row 23 and 24 but I think we could have easily picked at any other row. They just try to keep people spread out where the blueberries need to be picked. Picking will go on all month as different varieties ripen.

Big beautiful blueberries just fall off in your hands. These are large highbush blueberries, not as sweet as wild blueberries but easy to pick.

Bernadette has found a good area to pick...may as well get comfortable, she will be here a while!

My colander manages to fill as I pick and eat.

Bernadette says, "Oh, LOOK at them all under here!"

Colander fills up.

The colander is getting heavy, I think I am almost done. Maybe I will eat a few more.

Bernadette weighs in...that will be $16.74 please.

Mine are $10.35 Lots of blueberries! What a lovely girl who served us, she was so cheerful. Tomorrow is her birthday...see the sign? God love her!

The Cafe was open. We had a cup of coffee and Bernadette enjoyed the most delicious blueberry scone...so tender, moist and sweet. I had a small bite of it. The bakery here sells blueberry desserts and also shares the recipes if you ask.

If you are in a hurry, you can just buy your blueberries from the fridge.

The tasting counter...today's sample was corn chips and blueberry salsa. I loved it, Bernadette found it a little hot. It wasn't really hot.

We discovered the patio after we had finished our coffee but if we had seen it, would have preferred to eat out here. There is a nice breeze, a good view of the blueberry field and a nice little water fountain. Such a pretty place.

Bernadette looks out over the fields.

Closeup of a hibiscus on the patio.

A blueberry cart. You can wheel this to your row, sit on it, even sit your water bottle on it while you drop blueberries in the hole and then wheel your cart back to the weigh station. That cart would hold blueberries for lots of pies and jams.

Front of the Cafe

Back at my car in the lot we admired this hydrangea. There has been so much rain mixed with sunshine this summer, hydrangeas have never looked as good!

It was another great daytrip!