Thimbleberry Time Again

I was very happy to see ripe thimbleberries on my dog walk this morning. You're not likely to find thimbleberry pie on the menu at your favorite restaurant because the fruit is so soft that it's rarely cultivated commercially. Picking them can be quite frustrating, and requires a gentle touch. Sometimes the berries come off the stem easily in one perfect thimble-shaped piece; other times they'll break into several fragments, staining your fingers bright red. If you're just a little heavy-handed, you'll see adjacent berries falling to the ground.

Thimbleberries have two saving graces. There are no thorns, and they're delicious -- like a raspberry, but with a refreshing tartness. One of my favorite fruits.

I have to get to bed early tonight. I'll be crawling out of bed around 4:00 AM for a bliportunity I wouldn't want to miss. How's that for a cliffhanger ending?