This summer was no different. We waited and watched. The place that we pick is a good 40 minutes from where we live, so it took several trips to determine that the berries we at last ripe this past weekend.
Josh and I dropped Molly off with Grandma and Grandpa, grabbed our bags and scissors and hats and headed off into the country. We found lots and lots of beautiful berries. I would be stocked all winter with jam. I was so happy! (Are you starting to feel like something is about to happen because I am writing in past tense? ;) )
When we came home, we set the bags outside for a bit to let the bugs out. Then we put them in the front porch until I could get to them. Now, let it be known, I have left berries in the bags for a day or two before. Nothing new about that. And they were always fine. So, I did the same thing. We were busy, so I put it off a little while, but not too long, I thought. Finally, last night I knew it was time to get to them. I took the bags outside, got a chair and a bowl and went to work.
My first clue should have been the fact that there was a funny smell. Not quite a rotten smell, just a strong, sweet, funny, berry smell. But it has been 90 degrees or more the last few days, so I thought it was just a hot berry smell.
The second clue should have been the cloud of fruit flies and other flies that came up off of the berries. I thought that a little strange, but the berries on top of the bag still looked nice so I dove in, optimistic that I could at least use most of the berries.
By the time I got to the middle of the bag, the berries were changing. They were soggy, and not the same color as before. I began examining more closely. Some of the were definitely rotten. Hmm. And then I found a maggot. Not a huge one, but a maggot all the same. GROSS. That led me to examine my bowl of "okay" berries. There were more maggots crawling all through it! Bleck!
The final straw, though, was when I looked at my hands. They were covered in purple stain, and clinging to my hands and fingers were many little maggots! All over! And they didn't want to come off, either. They were stuck to my skin almost like they were glued there! I shrieked very loudly, called my husband to watch the baby, who was sitting in her stroller watching me, told him I had an emergency, and dashed into the kitchen to scrub my hands in soap and hot water.
Can you spell DISGUST? I was absolutely horrified. If there's one thing I hate (which I'm sure there are many, but . . .) it is maggots. They are just about the lowest of the low, the scum of the earth, in my opinion. And to find them crawling all through my beautiful berries which we worked so hard to get, and then crawling all over my hands, well . . . I was plain outraged.
I went back outside and sat down as despondent as could be. I think I really did almost cry. My daughter just looked on in wonder at the scene, and my husband quietly took all the bags around back to the compost pile. And that's that. My berries sit out there now, composting, and crawling with maggots. What a disaster.
I have learned my lesson. Don't let bags of berries sit on the front porch for more than a day, if that, in 90 degree weather. Next time I see a cloud of bugs coming off the berries, don't even try to salvage. Just compost. It will save a lot of yuckiness in the long run.
On a happier note, after the berry incident we came inside, and Molly promptly showed me that she had learned to play peek-a-boo by ducking down behind the coffee table and popping up at me over and over. That made my day. And she has the cutest way of saying peek-a-boo. It sounds like a really high, squeaky, "PEE!" followed by a slightly lower but still squeaky "BOO!" "PEE BOO! PEE BOO!" over and over. It was lots of fun. I actually got a video of her doing it, so I'll share that below. :)
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