Mary Mason Campbell writes in "The New England Butt'ry Shelf Almanac," illustrated by Tasha Tudor, that, "A day in August is the day to go blueberrying. A full lunch basket, a blue sky and soft breeze, and a favorite blueberry pail are the only requisites." She goes on to say, "A farmer's wife once told me, 'Blueberryin' is just like miklin' a cow; you pull the berries off the branch just the same way.' A bunch of twenty-five or thirty blueberries is a good handful to grasp and pull with a quick gentle motion that does not tear the berries."
Ms. Campbell gives us her recipe for Blueberry Jam. . . .
For many of us Blueberry picking season is over, so I'm also including her Summer Squash recipe. . . .
In "A Time to Keep" Tasha Tudor tells us August was the month to celebrate her daughter, Bethany's birthday. But it is also her own birth month. This year we celebrate the anniversary of her 101st birthday on the 28th. . . .
The big surprise at the end of the day was the birthday cake floating down the river. . . .
Bethany's birthday celebration was delightfully told in Tasha's book, "Becky's Birthday". . . .
In Tasha's "Around the Year" August is the signaling of the end of summer. . . .
It was also a time to do some canning of summer's bounty. . . .
This concludes my year of monthly celebrations with Tasha Tudor.
The Take Joy Society is taking a break from our monthly activities as we gather around one of our members whose husband is under treatment for a serious illness.
.•*¨`*•. ☆ .•*¨`*•
Take Joy!
