Wow – whoopee – hurray!!!!
It's berry season again.
We started picking the most beautiful blueberries this
week. They are huge. We have 4 varieties of blueberries and the early variety
is the one that we are picking now. We expect to have blueberries thru
mid-July (at least).
The blackberries have been so pretty this year. Since we
had to take our largest field out (and replant it) after the hail storm last
year, we have about a third less blackberries than usual. We open The Berry Patch each morning at dawn (6:00 a.m.) and, so many people come out to pick these big beauties
that, we are usually picked out of blackberries by 8:00 or 8:30 a.m. Sorry….
Last Saturday, June 9th was our first BIG day.
(Every Saturday is something special.) Cloggin Fever has here to dance for
us. They were so wonderful. It’s amazing how fast that they can tap. When
then finished, they got the children into a circle with their parents
(grandparents) and taught all of them The Chicken Dance. It was so much fun to
watch. By the way, they have offered to come back again.
Everyone enjoyed our vendors and then ate some of the best
food that could have been fixed by a wonderful concession wagon. Joe &
Kathy Williams of A-Gourmet Catering served all sorts of German food, plus
great hamburgers, hand cut French fries and chicken fried steak sandwiches.
They came out with homemade blueberry pies for people to buy either whole or by
the piece. We have invited them to come back again on June 23rd.
This coming Saturday, June 16th we have more big
plans. Tildon & Vickie will be out here serving delicious sliced bar-b-cue
sandwiches. Pearce and I have tried their brisket and I have never had
better. They will be brining extra brisket to sell by the pound. I know that
you will want to take some it them home. Bobby Rogers, a local magician will
be here to entertain both children and adults with his fun and funny tricks.
We will have Denise Gee here signing her new recipe/storybook called SOUTHERN
COCKTAILS – Dixie drinks, party potions & classic libations. I know
that you will want a copy of this delightful book for yourself and another one
for a gift for a dear friend. It might even make a good Father’s Day present.
All of our vendors will be here along with several new
ones. Each one is very special and has some rather unique items. Browse thru
their numerous items and get all of your questions answered.
Now for some old business………….
OK – this is my “I’m sorry e-mail”. I do this one every year and get it behind me so that we can get on with the rest of the season. These
are not listed in any sort of order. Here goes:
1. I am so sorry that our blackberries have “bugs” in
them. We don’t use pesticides and blackberries need to be put into a sink and
washed well several times. I can promise you that any blackberry picked in the
“wild” would have more “bugs” than ours. We heard back (by rumor) that you
reported us from the BUG POLICE. It’s a shame that you didn’t call us first.
You know, they cover ants in chocolate in some other countries and eat them.
Good protein.
2. I am so sorry that the blueberries are not as sweet as
you expected them to be. If you look at your bucket, you have picked the ones
that (I told you not to pick) are still red or bright purple and do not have
the baby powder look that shows that they have pulled in the sugar.
3. I am so sorry that we run out of blackberries each
morning by 8:00 a.m. Yes! People really do get here between 6:00 a.m. and 6:30 a.m. each day and pick out the ripe blackberries by 8:00 a.m. or 8:30 a.m. each morning. We always have more the next day that we are open….. but they are
gone by 8:00 a.m. or 8:30 a.m. also.
4. The fact that we say that we have berries and then
don’t, is not “poor business practices”. We may tell you that we have berries,
but….we only have so many berries each day and when they’re gone….they’re
gone. I try to keep the answering machine current; so you are always welcome
to call (903)564-6228 and check our most recent message.
5. Yes! We are really closed on Monday and Friday each
week. We call these “sanity days”. If you were here, you would certainly
understand. It’s not a day of relaxation; it’s our day to clean, repair and
mow.
6. Yes – I am the “older woman” who told you that there
were not any blackberries after 8 a.m. I didn’t tell you that you were not
allowed to pick after 8:00 a.m. Sorry that you misunderstood. You didn’t get
here until 1:00 p.m.
Now - that is enough of that.... Let's look ahead...
You are going want to start bringing lawn chairs or lawn blankets with you on Saturdays.
Saturday, June 23 will be our “Mexican Day”. Our friend,
Joe, will have his (great big) concession rig out here again and will be
serving fajitas and tacos, in addition, to the other great food that he is
known for. By the way, Pearce recommends his biscuits and sausage for
breakfast. Pearce ate 3 of them last Saturday morning. His biscuits are
homemade. Yum – Yum.
I haven’t been able to find any “Mexican entertainment” for
you yet; but I am going to keep on trying. I had hoped to find someone who
could sing Spanish ballads and walk around serenading the women. (Of course,
he would need a big Mexican sombrero).
We do have all of our vendors that will be here that day and
I know that it will a family day that all will enjoy.
Big News –
June 30 is our big Western Day.
We plan to start the day out with a COWBOY CHUCK WAGON BREAKFAST!
Joe & Martha Hall of Texoma Carriage (www.texomacarriage.com) will be here
with their 1860’s chuck wagon serving breakfast using the old fashioned “Dutch
oven” way of cooking. I know that all of you will want to be here. So that we
can keep up with how many people to expect, we are limiting the breakfast to
150 people (not counting children). The cost will be $10 for the adults and
$3.50 for anyone 6 years old and younger. We are taking advance reservations.
You can call us at (903) 564-6228 and make reservations over the phone by using
your credit card or you can send a check to Bailey’s Berry Patch, 905 Crawford Road, Sadler, TX 76264. We do need a headcount so tickets will not be sold
for the breakfast on that day UNLESS someone does not show up. Breakfast will
be served from 7:30 a.m. to 10:00 a.m.
About mid-morning on the 30th, Lanny Joe Burnett
(lannyjoe.com) will perform for us. Lanny is a well known Western poet and
storyteller. I know that you will REALLY ENJOY LISTENING TO HIM. (Don’t
forget your lawn chairs or lawn blankets so that you can sit around and enjoy
his performance.
Vickie and Tildon will be serving their wonderful bar-b-cue
that day for lunch and the chuck wagon will be serving cobbler directly out of
their Dutch ovens for desert that day for only $2 a serving. The cobbler will
be very hot; but you can take the time to let them cool. We will be selling
tickets for the cobbler that day.
I could go on and on….but this is enough. I will get
another newsletter out in 10 days or so.
Don't Forget…..
Bailey’s Berry Patch is open from dawn (6:00 a.m.) to 2:00 p.m. on Tuesday, Wednesday, Thursday, Saturday and Sunday. We are closed on
Monday and Friday. You MUST be here by 6:30 a.m. to get blackberries. They
are usually picked out by 8:00 or 8:30 each morning. The blueberries will keep
getting better and better. We will have blackberries for 2 or 3 more weeks and
blueberries until mid-July (at least). We always keep a current message on our
answering machine. Don’t hesitate to call us at (903) 564-6228. Please don’t
expect us to answer. Pearce is usually in bed by 8:00 p.m. and I don’t stay up much later.
Our blueberry lemonade has been a big hit this year and we
will try to continue to have it every day that we are open. We will add fresh
brewed tea this coming Saturday.
Here are some very special recipes for this newsletter - CLICK HERE. I
have chosen two great recipes – Blueberry–Banana Pie and Blueberry Coffee Cake for your enjoyment.
Thank you for your patience and wonderful emails!
Ann Bailey
The Berry Lady
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