Yum!

There are many things that make it enjoyable to live here in Whatcom County, take for example the beaches. Birch Bay is probably the warmest beach along the Pacific Ocean at least certainly for Washington and Oregon. Then you have the eagles. We love to watch the eagles around here. Unlike other areas, you aren't limited to specific times of year. The moderate climate is another attractive feature of our area. We get a few really hot days in the midst of a pretty moderately hot summer, and just enough snow to keep the kids happy. But, if you were to ask most anyone in our home what is one of their favorite things about this area in which we live... you will undoubtedly here "the RASPBERRIES!!!"We went pickin the other day and all I can say is Yum! These are no regular berries either. For all of you friends and family not from this area believe me when I tell you these berries are huge and delicious. They are the best berries. We usually find ourselves out at Barbies to pick. When the season is correct you can pick Strawberries and Raspberries and sometimes even Bluberries all at the same place. The have good prices too. I just always hope they don't put anyone of us on the scales before and then after. Yikes! That would sure hike the price up a bit.

The first pickin of the year is usually just a pick and eat type of pickin. It takes until at least the second or third before I start freezing or making multi-flavored jams with them. And no summer would be complete without a fresh Raspberry cake or two. Check out this recipe that you can make with either blackberries or raspberries. Our favorite is with the raspberries. We did try blueberries for all you blueberry lovers. It looses some of its' appeal. If you havn't done it yet, grab your boxes and head out before they are all gone or the rain hits. One more thing, a tip for all you berrry pickers. If you get stains on your clothes like we usually do, boiling water does the trick. Just pour it from the inside of the garment to force the berry out.