In Search of the Wild Cranberry..........

So it is wild cranberry season up on the trail and I am leaving on this fine morning in search of them.

Oh I love those little wild cranberries, they are only about the size of your small fingernail (ok depending on how big your small fingernail is) (grin).  They are tart like the domestic ones, but not as tart.  It is hard to explain how they taste but yummy they are.  I love making jelly from them and I have it at Christmas time...it is almost a tradition now.  I also make cranberry tarts, and I dry a few of them.

Because they hide so well....(they are tricky to find), they take a lot of time to find, then pick them.  They grow in boggy areas (so rubber boots are kind of a must), in among tall grasses and on top of the moss.   So you must seek those sneeky guys out.

First you have to know where the good ones grow, so I go with my friend who knows every spot up there and he just meanders around till he comes to a patch.  Then the picking begins.  Because spring came late up on the mountain this year, there weren't as many cranberries as there usually is.  Then you need to beat the bears, and the birds for some...and the bears are eating like crazy right now to get ready for winter sleep.........

The day was a beautiful crisp sunny day, warm to the face, and the air was still. The colors are starting to change on the hill such beautiful vibrant colors... We picked some (I ate a few but they really need cooking), had lunch, hung up some of the canoes for the winter so the snows don't crush them, and then headed home.

I enjoyed the time just being outdoors, smell the fresh air...and see such great reflections on the waters....so much beauty and never enough time to soak it all in...but then I have these great pictures to share...and the memories last forever....

So come in search with me...and see if you can find them...and a few wee curious friends looking at us.....