This afternoon Brian and I picked blueberries again. The first farm we visted charged twice as much as they had last year, and I found out that a closer farm was much more reasonable. It also happened to be the farm where Rick and I picked blueberries the very first time after moving to Oregon over 17 years ago. The bushes were big then; they are even bigger now. No bending necessary, which makes my back very happy. And the owner had just irrigated with a big "power-gun" sprayer, so the berries were all wet and clean. "How nice," I thought, as Brian and I sampled berries while filling our buckets. After about 20 minutes, the owner said to us (there was another couple there), "Oh, I should tell you that I irrigate with river water. But I've been eating them; I think it's fine." AAAACK! The rivers of the Willamette Valley, due to both heavy population AND intensive agriculture, are notorious polluted. I wouldn't think of drinking from one, and here my son and I had been popping handfuls of blueberries dripping with river water into our mouths!
The power of suggestion doesn't usually go very far with me, but right now I'm thinking I feel a lot of rumbling in the ol' iron gut. Pardon me while I go wash 11 lbs. of blueberries in bleach water at . . .
4 comments:
You better watch what you say... things have a way of comin' 'round and biting one in one's bum. ;)
No pun intended. (lol)
Oh, you'll be fine woman! You are nothing if not tough, gut and all.
Seems like we are having to second guess our food more and more, doesn't it. What we see isn't what we get, even if it looks wholesome. I just read Animal, Vegetable, Miracle by Barbara Kingsolver - it's a shame that it has to be a radical lifestyle change to remove yourself from the GMO food chain.
I can't believe that that farmer would be so careless - because "they" say you are really not supposed to wash blueberries at all - (makes them stick together when you freeze them for one thing) but they say it removes the "bloom" that protects the berry from mold, etc. I hope that you didn't get sick after all (and it was just the thought that was making your tummy rumble)
I must have not checked your blog for a day or two, you have been really busy! Your bike trip pictures are gorgeous - and that baby sweater - what mom wouldn't be honored to have that as a present. (can't wait to see your shawl when it is finished!)
Take care! T.
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