Have You Ever Picked Fruit for Fun or Pay? 

One of my favorite things about living in rural Maine is the fresh fruit in summer and fall. 

I've never picked for pay but I have picked my own strawberries before for fun.

And because it's significantly cheaper to pick your own Maine strawberries than to buy them at the farmstand.

I try to make strawberry picking an annual early summer activity. 

This year, Maine strawberries are quite late because we've had So.Much.Rain. 

My usual U-Pick farm hasn't even opened yet and it's July 1. 

Blueberry raking is an annual rite of passage for many Mainers, especially teenagers. It's incredibly hard work. 

I've picked blueberries on a hike before--for casual eating out of hand.

I also remember faintly going out in the deep woods with my late grandfather, who carried a tin pail, to gather blueberries. 

What I remember the most was the mint growing wild that my grandfather found.

He pulled off a handful of leaves and told me to chew them. 

Something growing wild in the woods that I could put in my mouth and tasted like gum? That was magical!

Your turn: tell me if you've ever picked fruit for fun or money.