Blueberry Verbena Cooler Cocktail
Today I’ll be heading out to the nearby farmlands of Carnation, Washington for an annual visit to our CSA farm. After about a 45 minute drive from our home within the city limits, I’ll be standing on the rich earth that produces our local, organic produce all summer long. And, I’ll be chatting with Cathryn, the woman who owns and runs Summer Run Farm, which is one among a few that work as The Farm Girl Collective to produce the bounty we bring home – for relatively cheap – each week during summer. I love getting the chance to visit the land where so much of our food is grown, to walk the country fields on a summer day, to smell and hear the sounds of the natural creek running with cool, fresh water off the nearby Cascade Mountains. And, as an extra special treat, Cathryn puts together her open farm days when her neighbors’ U-pick blueberry farm is open for the season. That’s today!
Although I grow quite a lot of food in my own garden, including blueberries, there’s really no way I could produce enough to feed us from this lot. Well, maybe that’s not true, but as a lover of all things horticulture and as a believer in diversity, I want a few trees, shrubs, perennials and patio spaces to enjoy as well. So, my urban farming spaces have their suburban-living constraints. I can grow plenty of berries to toss into oatmeal or snack on as I weed, but I can’t produce enough to make jams or a big round of these delicious cocktails we invented last year after our U-pick visit. Although I could have purchased a flat of non-organic, relatively local berries at the market for about $8.00 yesterday or I could order pre-picked berries from the u-pick farm for about $4.25/lb, I find some satisfaction in picking my own right off the bushes, and paying $2.60/lb for my efforts. And, yes, these are local, organic berries!
Now, before I head East to the farm, I’m snipping a batch of lemon verbena and making up a simple syrup to cool. I know when we get back — all hot and dusty from the farm — my picking partner and I will be ready to relax on the patio with a cool berry-licious cocktail. And, I know this one is just the ticket! (more…)
