Berry Picking and BLT's

Tonight, we picked elderberries while sitting on the sofa!  How great is that?  I coaxed Jamie and Brandon into helping me pull the tiny little berries from the stems of the elderberries that I picked on our last visit to the farm.  All I had to mention was the word "jam" and they were both willing to lend a hand.  Working toward sweet berry jam doesn't even feel like work.  

We watched TV and pulled the berries from the stems, and in less than an hour had at least six cups of berries, which is more than I thought I would have.  We tried hard not to get any stems, green berries, or bugs in the bowl.  I wonder how many purple stains I will find on the couches after this?  

My fingers were stained, but it wasn't hard to wash off.  I tasted a few of the berries, and I didn't think they had much flavor.  Supposedly they taste better after they are cooked, or fermented.  

Elderberries weren't the only in season food we enjoyed today.  I was reading a recipe on-line today and realized that I had all the ingredients without going to the store.  That never happens for me.  So, I cooked up some onions and some zucchini from the garden, poured in some home made chicken stock and quinoa, and when the quinoa was done put it in the blender with some fresh dill from the garden.  Brandon was skeptical, probably because it was green and smelled like a pickle, but we agreed that it was very good, especially since it was so easy.  

But, as good as green soup is, the highlight of today, and I mean the entire day, was the BLT sandwiches.  The giant lumpy tomatoes that I have been harvesting have been begging me for bacon, and I have been dreaming about BLT's all week.  I didn't take a photo, because they were so beautiful I didn't want anyone to feel bad for not getting to eat one.  Really, I just scarfed it down so fast I didn't even think about pictures until it was too late.   I had the perfect tomato reserved for my sandwich.  It was so large that a single fat slice covered an entire piece of bread, and still stuck out the sides.  Ah...I love bacon... I mean tomatoes!