Winding Down the Weekend
By Jeff Moffitt
@moffittjc (118421)
Gainesville, Florida
May 31, 2020 3:24pm CST
I’ve had a wonderful birthday weekend so far. Actually, it’s been more like a fun birthday week. Lots of active outdoor fun, swimming, kayaking, tubing and more! So today (Sunday), I wanted to continue the fun outdoor theme, but in a more subdued fashion, so the girlfriend, kids and I went blueberry picking at one of our local farms. The Florida blueberry crops are just starting to reach the peak of their ripeness, and we had quite a haul today. I’m going to be set with blueberries for a while, which is nice because I love eating them! I’ll probably start to turn a shade of blue soon from eating so many.
Do you like blueberries, and have you ever gone out and picked your own? What fun activity did you do today?
24 people like this
23 responses
@moffittjc (118421)
• Gainesville, Florida
7 Jun 20
@RubyHawk Well, I've never made cobbler before, so I wouldn't know how to do all that! But I love eating cobbler! haha
1 person likes this
@moffittjc (118421)
• Gainesville, Florida
7 Jun 20
I don't know if I've ever had a blueberry pie. It actually sounds really delicious!
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@RubyHawk (99425)
• Atlanta, Georgia
7 Jun 20
@moffittjc It's delicious. Make it just like any cobbler.
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@simone10 (54189)
• Louisville, Kentucky
10 Jun 20
@moffittjc That's very true. When I was growing up, we would often go and pick strawberries. My Mom would make jelly.
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@moffittjc (118421)
• Gainesville, Florida
4 Jun 20
Thank you for the birthday wishes! I love strawberries too, but I love them the best when their fresh-picked from the farm. They are so much sweeter and juicier when you can get them straight from the farm instead of having to buy them at the grocery store!
1 person likes this
@moffittjc (118421)
• Gainesville, Florida
10 Jun 20
@simone10 I wish my mom would have made jelly when I was a kid. That would have been cool! But speaking of cool, she did like to make homemade ice cream in the summer months. That was pretty awesome!
1 person likes this
@wolfgirl569 (95042)
• Marion, Ohio
31 May 20
I dont like those but am waiting for the raspberries. Happy birthday
1 person likes this
@wolfgirl569 (95042)
• Marion, Ohio
31 May 20
@moffittjc They are in bloom here now.
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@moffittjc (118421)
• Gainesville, Florida
31 May 20
@wolfgirl569 How nice! Do you ever get to pick any to eat?
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@moffittjc (118421)
• Gainesville, Florida
31 May 20
I like raspberries too, but I've never seen them growing around here. Pretty much just blueberries and blackberries.
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@Alexandoy (65308)
• Cainta, Philippines
31 May 20
I like the first line and it's always nice to know about a wonderful birthday. Here a belated happy birthday to you. The blueberry picking reminds me of my father's last vacation with us. We went mulberry picking.
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@Alexandoy (65308)
• Cainta, Philippines
31 May 20
@moffittjc to be frank, I like your posts about activities because I miss those days. Here, we have no physical activity of any kind due to the strict lockdown rules.
1 person likes this
@moffittjc (118421)
• Gainesville, Florida
31 May 20
@Alexandoy Yes, but eventually your lockdown will be lifted and you will be able to resume outside activities! We went almost 11 weeks here in lockdown, so it was tough on my as well, so I'm trying to make up for lost time now that they are loosening the restrictions somewhat.
2 people like this
@moffittjc (118421)
• Gainesville, Florida
31 May 20
Thank you for the birthday wishes! I had a great day celebrating. I've never been mulberry picking before, but it would be something I'd like to do someday.
1 person likes this
@amitkokiladitya (171936)
• Agra, India
1 Jun 20
That is good. I wonder when we will be able to step out and have fun like we used to have earlier
1 person likes this
@moffittjc (118421)
• Gainesville, Florida
1 Jun 20
We are able to step out and have fun and do things like we used to do earlier, we just have to wear masks when we go outside. But our lockdown has been lifted, and everything is starting to open back up.
@moffittjc (118421)
• Gainesville, Florida
1 Jun 20
@kepweng We don't have a lockdown anymore here in Florida.
2 people like this
@amitkokiladitya (171936)
• Agra, India
1 Jun 20
@kepweng it is gradually lifting
1 person likes this
@JimBo452020 (42629)
• United Kingdom
2 Jun 20
Blueberries. Yvonne loves them. She wants to grow them.
No fun activity today sadly. It has been raining for most of the day.
1 person likes this
@moffittjc (118421)
• Gainesville, Florida
2 Jun 20
@JimBo452020 You know it says "United Kingdom" in your profile! If you are a proud Scot then your profile should say "Scotland." What part of Scotland are you from? I've been to Edinburgh once, and I'd like to get back to Scotland again. My family has traced its ancestry back to the little burgh of Moffat. My last name is spelled slightly different, but that's where my forefathers came from. I would like to visit there someday.
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@moffittjc (118421)
• Gainesville, Florida
2 Jun 20
It's always raining in the UK! lol
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@JimBo452020 (42629)
• United Kingdom
2 Jun 20
@moffittjc
Ok Jeff lol, I am a proud Scot and dont consider myself to be in the UK, like many of my fellow Scots who seek self determination. But I get your drift.
We just had 5 whole days here and not a single drop of rain. Blazing sunshine and Blue Skies.
A miracle
1 person likes this
@kareng (54553)
• United States
6 Jun 20
@moffittjc We do have some around but just not very convenient locations.
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@moffittjc (118421)
• Gainesville, Florida
2 Jun 20
Blueberry picking is a pretty fun thing to do if you ever come across a blueberry farm that allows it.
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@moffittjc (118421)
• Gainesville, Florida
6 Jun 20
@kareng Yes, it always helps if things are conveniently located!
@m_audrey6788 (58485)
• Germany
31 May 20
I love blueberries but never experienced picking up my own. Happy birthday to you 
1 person likes this
@moffittjc (118421)
• Gainesville, Florida
31 May 20
Thank you! Picking blueberries (or any fruit or vegetable for that matter) is a great family experience. I always love going out with my girlfriend or the kids and visiting a local farm. The cost is unbelievable inexpensive for picking your own, compared to what you pay in a grocery store.
And thank you for the birthday greeting. I had a really nice birthday!
1 person likes this
@m_audrey6788 (58485)
• Germany
31 May 20
@moffittjc Yes we have something like that around here but it`s far away from our place. I don`t like to travel faraway nowadays
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@moffittjc (118421)
• Gainesville, Florida
31 May 20
@m_audrey6788 Do you not like to travel because of the coronavirus, or because you just don't like to travel in general?
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@LadyDuck (457918)
• Switzerland
2 Jun 20
@moffittjc I tried to grow blueberries in my garden I never succeeded, I grow strawberries, blackberries, raspberries, but the blueberries seem not to like this area.
1 person likes this
@moffittjc (118421)
• Gainesville, Florida
2 Jun 20
I have an Aldi near me, but I haven't shopped there before.
I also buy blueberries every week, but now that I went and picked my own, my freezer is fully stocked and should last me most of the summer!
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@moffittjc (118421)
• Gainesville, Florida
2 Jun 20
@LadyDuck I guess they’re very picky about where they grow.
@Tampa_girl7 (48908)
• United States
2 Jun 20
Happy belated birthday. I love blueberries. We have our own blueberry bushes.
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@Tampa_girl7 (48908)
• United States
2 Jun 20
@moffittjc ours are almost ready for picking.
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@moffittjc (118421)
• Gainesville, Florida
2 Jun 20
@Tampa_girl7 Gonna be some good blueberry eating going on in your house soon!
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@moffittjc (118421)
• Gainesville, Florida
2 Jun 20
Thank you Marie! I had a very wonderful birthday weekend. Unfortunately, I couldn't do anything about the fact that another work week has arrived! lol
Last year, I planted blueberry bushes at the front entrance to one of the public swimming pools I manage. They did really well and we had a great crop of blueberries during the summer. My staff picked them and kept them in the fridge in the lifeguard office to snack on while they were on break from lifeguarding.
1 person likes this
@just4him (305864)
• Green Bay, Wisconsin
1 Jun 20
That sounds like a lot of fun.
Yes, I've picked them once before when I was a kid. They grow here, but it's hard to know where. I think we found them growing wild.
I love blueberries. I'm glad you got a good haul. You'll need to freeze them so they last.
My fun activity yesterday was going to church and seeing all my friends in person. Today it was swimming. 
1 person likes this
@moffittjc (118421)
• Gainesville, Florida
2 Jun 20
@just4him Every year when I pack my freezer full of blueberries, I think it's going to get me through the entire summer. How wrong I am every time! lol
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@moffittjc (118421)
• Gainesville, Florida
2 Jun 20
My freezer is packed full of blueberries that I put there to store over the summer. But considering how much I love eating blueberries, that freezer will probably be empty of blueberries in no time flat.
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@just4him (305864)
• Green Bay, Wisconsin
2 Jun 20
@moffittjc Probably. I know my blueberries don't last very long and fresh-picked wouldn't make it into the freezer.
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@moffittjc (118421)
• Gainesville, Florida
1 Jun 20
@JudyEv Oh that’s nice. We had a public holiday last Monday. But today it’s back to the regular grind.
@moffittjc (118421)
• Gainesville, Florida
1 Jun 20
Thank you Judy. I had a really great weekend birthday celebration. Now it's Monday and time to get back to reality.
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@JudyEv (325594)
• Rockingham, Australia
1 Jun 20
@moffittjc We had a public holiday today not that it affected us much.
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@LindaOHio (155961)
• United States
31 May 20
I love blueberries. Have never picked our own. The only thing that would have made your birthday more fun would have been a trip to Disney...Nothing happening here.
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@moffittjc (118421)
• Gainesville, Florida
31 May 20
The trip to Disney will be coming soon enough, although I agree with you that it would have been the perfect birthday present. But I got my fill of Disney last year on my birthday when my kids surprised me with a weekend at Disney. We had such a fun time!
It's too bad you've never picked your own blueberries. You get like a hundred times more volume of berries for the price of what you pay for a tiny pack in the grocery store And because you can be selective when picking your own, you can get some pretty nice size blueberries!
1 person likes this
@moffittjc (118421)
• Gainesville, Florida
31 May 20
@LindaOHio Do they grow that far north? I'm not sure of the range of where they grow. I've seen Florida and California blueberries in the grocery stores during "season," and in the off-season I've seen blueberries from Chile and Argentina. I've also picked wild blueberries in North Carolina.
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@LindaOHio (155961)
• United States
31 May 20
@moffittjc I don't even know any place around here that grows blueberries.
1 person likes this
@DocAndersen (54413)
• United States
1 Jun 20
i love blueberries - love going to you pick places. although, I always wonder. I mean i pay the same price or a little more than in the store. Yes they are fresh, but i am doing the work!
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@moffittjc (118421)
• Gainesville, Florida
2 Jun 20
You pay the same price as in the store? Wow! It is like 10 times cheaper here to pick your own than to buy them in the store.
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@moffittjc (118421)
• Gainesville, Florida
2 Jun 20
@DocAndersen Wow, that just seems crazy to me. And you're right....you are doing all the work!
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@DocAndersen (54413)
• United States
2 Jun 20
@moffittjc not in Maryland - it costs more. plus I am doing all the work!
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@much2say (53959)
• Los Angeles, California
31 May 20
Oh hey, happy belated birthday to you 
! We love going to the farm to pick blueberries! This is the first year we haven't gone . . . the farms were closed for a while, but now is just not a good time to be out (as things are reopening, people are flocking everywhere). However, it seems blueberries have been fairly cheap and are delicious right now . . . we'll just pick from the containers at the stores 
.
! We love going to the farm to pick blueberries! This is the first year we haven't gone . . . the farms were closed for a while, but now is just not a good time to be out (as things are reopening, people are flocking everywhere). However, it seems blueberries have been fairly cheap and are delicious right now . . . we'll just pick from the containers at the stores .1 person likes this
@much2say (53959)
• Los Angeles, California
1 Jun 20
@moffittjc By appointment only - that's an interesting way to do it - but it sure makes sense! I don't think ours does that - all I know is they charge now for admission (but hey, that's ok - everybody has been hit hard - in these hard times, it's understandable - let's support the farms). I just love grabbing a handful of blueberries and eating them freshly picked - oh we will miss that this year!
1 person likes this
@moffittjc (118421)
• Gainesville, Florida
31 May 20
All the local farms around here are only letting people come pick by appointment only. That way, they can monitor the number of people there at any given time, plus assign people to different rows of blueberries so that everyone maintains their social distance.
1 person likes this
@moffittjc (118421)
• Gainesville, Florida
1 Jun 20
@much2say Ours haven't started charging admission yet, but if it goes to help put people back to work then I will gladly pay a few dollars to get into the farm. And I agree with you, I love eating fresh-picked blueberries. I ate quite a few as we were walking along the row of bushes picking the berries!
1 person likes this
@FourWalls (62076)
• United States
1 Jun 20
I’m not a huge fan of blueberries, eating them by themselves, but I do enjoy them when they’re in mixed fruit.
Hope you’ve had a great birthday weekend!
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@moffittjc (118421)
• Gainesville, Florida
1 Jun 20
Thank you! I had a great birthday weekend! I love eating blueberries by themselves, but I also add them to my cereal, and to mixed fruit, and I also make blueberry smoothies with them. My freezer is full of blueberries now, so I will be set for quite a while.
1 person likes this
@moffittjc (118421)
• Gainesville, Florida
31 May 20
That's wonderful that you've picked your own blueberries before. I always have so much fun doing it, and you can be very selective and get the nice big juicy ones! So much better than what you get in the grocery stores!
That is awesome that you got to spend some time walking and talking with you son and husband today.
1 person likes this
@Poppylicious (11133)
•
1 Jun 20
Happy Birthday!
I read that as "the Florida blueberry cops" and thought that was rather sweet. Then I reread it and discovered my faux pas. But I now just have images in my head of little blueberry cops hunting down criminals in Florida!
1 person likes this
@moffittjc (118421)
• Gainesville, Florida
2 Jun 20
Thanks for the birthday wish! I had a really great one! I am happy to see you are still here, it seems like ages since I've last interacted with you! How are you?
You brought a smile to my face when your comment also made me think of little blueberry cops!
@JESSY3236 (18901)
• United States
2 Jun 20
I don't like blueberries. The only "fun" thing I did Sunday was clean up cat throw up. Lily threw up her wet food. Yesterday I gave her the rest of the wet food and she didn't eat it. Today I gave her some other kind of wet food and she ate it today.
1 person likes this
@moffittjc (118421)
• Gainesville, Florida
2 Jun 20
Poor Lily. Something in that one particular batch of wet food didn't sit too well with her. Luckily she enjoyed eating the other kind you gave her.
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@moffittjc (118421)
• Gainesville, Florida
31 May 20
Do blueberries grow in Serbia? It would be nice if you could grow your own and just pick them whenever you wanted to!
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@moffittjc (118421)
• Gainesville, Florida
1 Jun 20
@Nevena83 The blueberry bushes do seem to grow well in the mountains. The first time I ever encountered wild blueberry bushes was in the mountains.
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@Nevena83 (65282)
• Serbia
1 Jun 20
@moffittjc Yes, we have blueberries, but mostly in the mountains.
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