Thimbleberries for Dad

We were planning on going rock hunting. A man at camp had told the kids where to find Greenstones and copper. He had been looking the other day and found enough to give Mark a sample of each so we knew what to look for. Unfortunately, the road we needed to go on was closed. To detour would easily take an hour or more. So we decided to go see Horseshoe Bay instead.

We drove to the end of US 41 and then down a dirt road. We drove past the road to Horseshoe Bay so we could explore a little. We discovered lots of Thimbleberries! Daddy introduced me to Thimbleberries years ago (the best ones are in cemeteries if you are interested). Mark remembered when we hiked in Glacier that we used them as “energy berries”. Since there were so many, we decided to pick some for Daddy. As we picked we decided to have some fun and pick enough for jam.

Mom and Dad were planning on shopping, so we would ask them to take the kids. We thought we could get canning jars and jelly stuff at the little store in town before they left. So we picked, and picked and picked and picked. A few cars drove by. One stopped and after a little bit of arguing from the people in the front seat, the lady told me that they “just saw a wolf cross the road on the hill just ahead of us”. Adrian was told that he needed to be by a big person if he was out of the car. We picked some more. Soon we had almost filled my 4 cup water bottle.

We bought the sugar and canning jars and hid them in the tent. As soon as everyone left to explore town, Allan and I got to work making jam. We used the RV stove to boil the jam and then used our camp stove to process the finished jelly. We put the jam on the RV table with a poem and a note saying “Do not touch, HOT!”

When Daddy got back, we discovered that he was alone! He accidentally locked the car keys in the van. Since there is no cell phone coverage in Copper Harbor he hitched a ride back and then drove the RV up Brockway Mountain to pick everyone up. I was not thinking and said that we would stay at camp and get dinner. I forgot that mom is very uncomfortable driving down mountains. Daddy said that this was the first time in the many years they visited the UP that Mom had ever drove!

Well, we were able to help make Dad and Mom’s evening. We enjoyed fresh, homemade Thimbleberry jam on saffron bread they had pick up in Calumet earlier. Daddy had a hard time believing that we made the jam. 🙂

Just for fun, here is the poem we wrote Daddy and Momma to explain the jam. Enjoy! (The last stanza was written when Daddy left to pick everyone up, I ran out of creativity after that. 😉 )

The road was closed
So we decided no
To copper, green stone
And playing in the rocks

Instead the path
We wisely chose to take
Yielded red berries
So we took a detour

Pick! Do not eat!
Pick and pick a lot more
What a fun treat
Homemade jam, made with love

The jam was made
The cooking mess repaired
When Dad we spy
No kids, no dogs, no van!