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