Picking Currants

We were in Scofield last week.  Kind of a last shabang for the season.

I think we were the only ones in the whole town.  

It was awesome.  And it was currant picking season.

 Good thing we have some connections with the right people.

This is the home of some family friends.

Out behind the back of the house is the creek that runs through town.

 This is where we were went to find the currants.

Summer had been currant picking before so she knew exactly where to go.

 Sierra and I climbed through the stinging nettle to find a little patch of currants.

 I had a big stick that I used to hold back the stinging nettle while Sierra picked.

Once we had picked that area clean, we headed down closer to the water.

 And then Rick showed up to help us with the picking.

He was brave and made his way down by the water's edge.

 Summer and Rick

 Mostly, I just kept taking pictures of Rick because he usually doesn't join us in our berry picking adventures.

Here is a nice, bright branch with berries and you can see the creek in the background.

 This is what your hands look like after picking currants.

 Aren't they so pretty?

 We decided that these berries were the best looking ones in town because they are right on the creek and get plenty of water.  You can spot them easily right now because the leaves are starting to turn a dark red and they are so pretty.  There are bushes growing all over the town, even in areas that are abandoned and don't get any water.

The thistles were growing right in the middle of the currants on the creek bank.

Apparently they like the location next to the water as well.  

They were sticky and prickly and nasty, but besides all that they were really pretty...Some purple left and lots of fluffy seeds blowing in the breeze...

After 2 hours of berry picking and a few rounds with the stinging nettle and thistle...we had a nice cooler full of currants....enough to make 2 quarts of juice...awesome...so worth our time.

(that would be a little bit of sarcasm...but it's all about the adventure--not the amount of juice!)