When in Doubt, Plant Blueberries

I'm learning about different therapeutic techniques and one is, when stressed, turn to Mother Nature.  One trick I am trying to use is to have gratitude, and nature helps me there.  It's so frigging cool, what mother nature does!  As an example, I just wanted a little pick-me-up from the week, and so we went out to Half Moon Bay to the nurseries.  It's bare-root season, so honestly, I was thinking fruit trees.  I know, where are you going to put it?  And that's another story...

Half Moon Bay Nursery
The drive over to Half Moon Bay is beautiful in itself.  There are a few nurseries along 92 as you are headed into Half Moon Bay, and if you don't have time, go straight to Half Moon Bay Nursery.  It's the best in HMB, and maybe the best nursery in the Bay Area.  It's the first one on the left as you make it over the hill.  Anyways, for a few years, I've tried planting blueberries.  I've got about 4 plants that are either dead or almost.  I really think they should flourish, like everything else does.  I know people grow them in the area.  So, I'm trying again.  This time, partial shade.  Under the blue spruce, which it should like, and how I remember them growing wild in Michigan...  So, here it is in the kitchen. Sarah is lurking in the background.  See the Cape Cod glasss?  From our previous adventures...  Also on the Half Moon Bay trip, I got a grape, and a white raspberry.  Actually Sarah got the white raspberry.  We'll see how we do.  I also got a killer teak table from another guy named Tim.  Ask me about that one!

Jib Jab with Tim
I've been thinking how awesome nature is, and sometimes how easy it is to forget about it.  I'm pondering it more, and seeing what gems I can come up with.  Heading over the hill to HMB put me in a completely different and positive mindset.  It seems to be a common thread when in and around nature.  More later...

Blueberry and Pecan Pancakes

This is a quick and delicious breakfast.   Essentially, here's the thing.  I made a bunch of regular pancakes earlier in the week, when we ran out of toast for the kids....  So I took all the extra ones I made, and put them in the bread bag -since it was empty :-)  -  and put that in the fridge.

So, it may not sound as good as it is, but take those pancakes out of the fridge, toast them like toast, and not just warm, but actually add a little crunch to them.  Butter them, add blueberries, pecans and maple syrup.  Pure goodness.

Left-over pancakes, toasted, buttered
Frozen blueberries, thawed
Pecans, broken up
Maple syrup

Toast the pancakes, to a crunchy finish, maybe a little brown on the edges.  Butter them.
Spoon blueberries and juices over pancakes.  Squeeze nuts to crumble. Add maple syrup.

Jib Jab
There are plenty of variations here.  You can combine the blueberries and juices with the maple syrup and warm it.  You can also add sliced bananas.  And probably the first adaptation I would do is to toast the pecans.  I can hear your other suggestions too.  Add to comments section.

Blueberries

I am determined to get my blueberries planted today.  Yes, I should be out there now, but if I commit to my blog, hopefully, I will get it done.  I bought my first blueberry start about a month ago.  Maybe more.  I got it in a small tube, just a stick with a plastic bag of dirt around it.  I got it at Whole Foods of all places.  It was like $6.99 and I thought, wow, cool.  I am getting it, and then go to the Nursery to get some more.  So, a few weeks after that, I finally get to the Nursery, and they don't have any.  I go to another, and yes, they do.  $27.00 each (now they are in 2 gal pots).  Mine in the little tube has since sprouted a huge set of leaves.  I got 2 others from the nursery too.  Here's what comes into play with blueberries:

1)  they like acid soil
2) they need something like 600 hours of cold or up to a lot more per winter (somehow, that's not freezing, but the hours of cold make a difference)
3) they have varieties that apparently grow in Northern California
4) they need to be planted together, at least two plants, preferably 3 different ones.

So, I have 3.  They are a early, mid and late season plant.  Hopefully I can find the types.
One is a berkeley.  I forget the other two but will check into it.

I am planting Misty (from  Whole Foods)
Master Gardeners of Santa Clara County has some good information
Yes, I am planting 3 types for cross-pollination.
Some serious N Cal blueberry growers

Jib Jab
Okay, so I am thinking about this, and I do a search.  The Internet is such a cool thing.  I find a great posting by another blogger when I was looking to plant around here.   So, first, the information is great.  Some nice pictures and so on.  He, like me thought it would be cool to have blueberries here.  We picked some in Michigan, growing wild, one vacation..and they were so good, and fun.  So, anyways, I notice, dang, nice site altogether and start looking around, and notice he has over 1M visitors!!!   Okay, now I am a bit jealous.  He has all these comments on his posts, and he comments back.  It's a whole connectivity thing.  I am impressed, and admire the whole thing. 

So, I am, (after this post I hope!) over 1,000 unique visitors.  I know.  Unique has a different meaning on the Internet, but I've been growing my audience little by little.  So, I start reading around on this guy's site, who lives pretty close to me, in Sunnyvale, and he has all these topics I am interested in, like marketing, high tech, and it turns out, did you guess yet?  He is the founder of Linked-In.  Okay, fine.  Adam Nash on growing blueberries in the bay area.