View from Rollstone Hill, Fitchburg
My preference is to take easy walks, walks where I can relax, look around, spot birds, notice cool fungi or other interesting things along the trail. But I also enjoy seeing new places. We never know before we go whether we’re going to have an “Easy Walk” or whether we’ll encounter a place with more challenging footing. Continue reading
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View from North Street, Upton, MA
The Whitney property, on North Street in Upton, was our destination today. My walking partners, Bill and Marcella, are friends who are dedicated volunteers, who help care for their local conservation properties, and work to visualize where to place trails for better access. Continue reading
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Wild Cranberries
Many years ago my friend Ellen Chagnon walked with me in the sandpits behind Silver Lake in Bellingham, MA and said, “It feels like there should be cranberries…right here,” as she bent down and picked a wild cranberry. Thus began my love affair with wild cranberries. I have returned over the years many, many times to this spot, and others like it. I’ve found wild cranberry plants along the Pamet Trails at the Cape Cod National Seashore. We’ve enjoyed cranberry blossoms in spring at Acadia National Park, Mt. Desert Maine.
Wild Cranberry bog
But it has been to the trail right at my back yard that I have returned over and over. Proximity makes this natural, of course, but this proximity has also provided a glimpse of how a wild fruit can survive and often thrive. Of course, there have been years when I’ve found perhaps a total of ten berries in the entire patch. Other times the berries were so abundant the mice chewed the berries and used them for bedding, while still leaving quarts of berries for us to enjoy. And one year the fruit was filled with worms–ughh!
Picking buddy, Pam
I ventured out on a fall morning in the bright sunshine recently with my friend Pam. Usually I haven’t been able to wait and start visiting the cranberries too soon. Underripe berries, extremely tart and not very red would remind me to be patient. Other years the fall rains begin and flood the berries, making them unreachable. This year I’ve had a lot happening, and rather than being too early or too late, it was the perfect time to visit.
Can you spot the red jewels in this patch?
Most wild cranberries are smaller than the berries you’ll find at the store. But “our” variety is larger than commercial berries. My neighbors who have lived in this area for years tell me there used to be commercial bogs back in the area where these wild berries grow. Perhaps this spot is a remnant of those abandoned bogs.
Cranberry bog at Patriot Place, Foxboro, late fall
There is a cranberry bog and nature trail directly behind Patriot Place in Foxboro, MA, parking is next to the Bass Pro shop. And even more fun–it’s almost time to see the bog at harvest time.
Marjorie
Marjorie Turner Hollman is a writer who loves the outdoors, and is the author of Easy Walks in Massachusetts, 2nd edition, More Easy Walks in Massachusetts, 2nd edition, Easy Walks and Paddles in the Ten Mile River Watershed, and Finding Easy Walks Wherever You Are. Her memoir, the backstory of Easy Walks, is My Liturgy of Easy Walks: Reclaiming hope in a world turned upside down.
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Upper Neponset, next to Walpole town forest
This past week was a time of visiting rivers. I was taking my own advice for finding fantastic nearby foliage and hunting along waterways first to find some great spots to enjoy the colorful foliage season as it begins to show its colors. After visiting the Charles River along various trails, then capturing views along the Blackstone River, I was ready to head in a different direction. Continue reading
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Blackstone Gorge
We’re into the midst of foliage season here in southern New England. Although the day was overcast yesterday, it wasn’t raining, and I decided to follow the advice I’ve been giving folks who are interested in finding fantastic foliage near where we live: seek out your local rivers, streams and ponds first. Continue reading
Comments Off on Magical Places–Along the Banks of the Blackstone River
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My friend Sue suggested we do some exploring along the Charles River, so we set out early thing morning, with only a vague plan in mind. By the time we finished, we had visited trails in three surrounding towns, all of which access portions of the Charles River and/or tributaries of the Charles.
First stop was the High Street Trail in Bellingham.
Charles River, High Street Trail, Bellingham, MA
It is much easier to find the trailhead now that Sean Boddy, Eagle Scout, has completed his project(s) and made the trail much more visible, accessible, and easier to follow. Continue reading
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I have had a passion for berry-picking probably since I realized there was a large patch of wild blueberries right across the street from where I lived when my oldest child was quite small. There was something about getting outdoors, sitting in the sunshine and finding delicious food, free for the picking. I still keep my eye open for berry patches, and enjoy discovering wild berries on my summer walks. But I’ve found it difficult to pick enough wild berries to satisfy my longing for summer fruit. Continue reading
Filed under Blog posts--Easy Walks
