Berries

You'd think that after over 20 years of avid bike riding I would have learned a few things.  A rule that should be so second-nature that I don't even have to think about it: Don't leave to go on a bike ride without plenty of fuel in the tank.  And I usually don't (so I guess I have learned something) but recently I hadn't been for a ride for a while and just wanted to GO and so I did.  Five minutes into the ride an empty feeling in my stomach reminded me that it had been a while since I last ate.  But, dang it, I was already riding and I didn't want to turn around.  Well by the end of the ride I was getting a bit punchy and so was looking around in the trees to try and find an unlucky squirrel or bird to eat when I saw these:

Aha!  Serviceberries can't run away.  And while I haven't ever actually tasted raw squirrel and can't make a direct comparison I'm guessing these taste better. 

So I noted that there were still a lot of berries yet to ripen, made a mental note of their position, and rode back again last night.    

Maybe not the mother lode but enough to give us something sweet to munch on for a couple days.  And they're free!

On another ride I noted that there were plenty of blackberries on the way but weren't yet ripe.  I checked them this time and they were:

Magical taste (especially on ice cream) and they're free, locally sourced, good for you.