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Her passion for U-pick knows no bounds By JoNel Aleccia I imagine there are people who can head for a U-pick patch in the summer and still retain some semblance of moral restraint. They fill pails of cherries, boxes of apricots and pallets of peaches, sure, but it's always intentional. They know just what they'll do with all that fruit once they get it home. They have a purpose for their passion. Me? I'm a U-pick harlot, a fruit floozie, a picker prone to wanton ways. Once I start filling my bucket, I can't seem to stop. I pick and I pick and I pick, mesmerized by the plump, ripe fruit, amazed that the sweet, succulent harvest is mine for the taking. Then I haul it all into the orchard office, where I'm confronted by the fact that unrestrained ardor comes with a price. On my last U-pick venture, I plucked 15 pounds of pie cherries and 2 pounds of sweet cherries before I knew what I was about. With sticky fingers, I wrote a check for nearly $40. That's a lot of cherry pie, by anyone's standards. My gluttony can be explained by nothing less than awe, I guess. Even after 18 years in Oregon, I still can't believe the bounty around me. I was raised in a Southern California suburb; the only fruit I ever picked was from the produce bin of a grocery store. So when I moved to a place where blackberries grow wild on freeway medians and orchardists invite strangers to glean their trees, I was amazed. The romance never has worn off. Indeed, it's gotten worse over the years. Just ask my son, the 12-year-old who has to listen to his mom wax rhapsodic as he works his way through rows of cherry trees or blueberry bushes. "Isn't it amazing that we can stand here overlooking this beautiful valley, picking this beautiful fruit?" I ask. "Ummm, yeah," he mumbles. "Isn't it astonishing that the cherries are so red against the green leaves? That they just grow that way?" "OK, sure, Mom," the boy says "Have I explained to you exactly how the blueberries grow? Did I tell you there's this flower, see, and this bee ..." "Mom! I know about pollination!" he says. "Geez!" And then we pick in silence. I enjoy the sound of fruit plunking in the bucket and the boy relishes the absence of his mother's voice. Even without my narrative, though, I can tell he likes it. Some kids are like that, happiest when given a specific task with concrete goals. Pick enough cherries and we'll have pie. Pluck enough blueberries and you can count on fruit-filled pancakes in January. The Rogue Valley abounds with U-pick sites. Find them in the classified section of this newspaper or by scanning cardboard signs posted on rural roads. Most local growers welcome children, so long as parents keep them under control. That's easier said than done, as anyone who ever hauled a 5-year-old (or a 15-year-old!) to an orchard knows. One of the best guides is still a 1982 book by Diana Burnell of Aumsville, Oregon. Here's a sampling of Burnell's advice for picking fruit with kids: Pack snacks to discourage nibbling. Children should learn to pay for what they pick. Also, too much fruit, or fruit that's unripe or sprayed with pesticide can cause discomfort in a hurry. Don't stay all day. Face it, kids have short little attention spans. A hour or two, tops, will be plenty. Take frequent short breaks rather than one long rest. Be comfortable. Come prepared with sunscreen, extra water, appropriate clothing. A few wet wipes can't hurt. either. Have fun. For me, being able to pick fruit with my kids is one of the reasons I still love living here. Even if we pick too much, I know we'll use it somehow. The recipe for Quick Cobbler below is one tasty option. Quick Cobbler 1/2 cup butter 1 cup flour 1 tablespoon baking powder 1 cup plus 2 tablespoons sugar 3/4 cup milk 2 cups fruit: berries, cherries, sliced, peeled peaches, apricots or apples. OR, use 1 16-ounce can fruit filling Vanilla ice cream or heavy cream Melt the butter in a 13-by-9-inch pan. In a separate bowl, mix the flour, baking powder and 1 cup sugar well with the milk. Pour flour mixture over the butter, top with the fruit. Sprinkle 2 tablespoons of sugar over the top. Optional: Add teaspoon of cinnamon, nutmeg or ginger to the sugar topping depending on the type of fruit used. Bake in preheated oven at 350 degrees F. until well browned, about 30 minutes. Serve warm with ice cream or in deep bowls with heavy cream. Makes 8 servings. Recipe is from the former Ahlf House Bed and Breakfast in Grants Pass. It's part of a collection of B&B recipes included in "Wake Up and Smell the Coffee: Pacific Northwest Edition," by Laura Zahn, Down to Earth Publications, 1990. Send cooking questions to JoNel Aleccia, The Mail Tribune, P.O. Box 1108, Medford, OR 97501. Call 776-4465, or send e-mail [email protected] Mail Tribune Copyright � The Mail Tribune 1999, Medford, Oregon USA