This week, the mulberry tree outside of our Coventry Village Branch is finally heavy with fruit. The serviceberry trees are ripening around the neighborhood. Sidewalks are increasingly stained purple from overripe berries. Birds of all kinds are flitting around, enjoying tasty snacks, and I hope you are, too.
Berry season is in full swing. I’m looking forward to visiting Northeast Ohio’s berry farms, leaving with buckets of fresh-picked strawberries and blueberries. Many berries won’t make it all the way home with me, or even into the bucket. There’s nothing quite like a berry that’s only travelled a few inches before eating!
Here are a two of my favorite picture books to get you excited for berry season:
Blueberry Cake by Sarah Dillard
This adorable book uses only a few words to tell the story of a little bear who craves blueberry cake but is distracted by the other delights of summer. Don’t worry, there is blueberry cake at the end. It includes a recipe so you can enjoy blueberry cake, too!
This gorgeous book shows the passing of knowledge from generation to generation and deep appreciation for the bountiful gifts the land gives us, including over a dozen berry varieties. This book also features the Tlingit words for these berries and a note from the author about indigenous knowledge and relationships to land.
As a bonus, the Estate of Robert McCloskey just released the Blueberries for Sal Cookbook, a companion to the classic picture book. It includes 30 recipes for the days when berries seem endless. I know I’ll be making Blueberry-Apple Crumble in that glorious, but brief time when the last blueberries and the first apples overlap.
Here’s to a delicious and fruitful berry season!
