The Sweet Reward of Berry Season
There are plenty of seasons we look forward to throughout the year, but after starting Piper & Leaf, berry season became one of our favorites. Every summer brings another excuse to grab buckets, head into the berry patches, and enjoy one of nature's sweetest harvests. Those few weeks of fresh berries help shape many of the blends we'll enjoy all year long.
Growing up, berry picking was simply something we did every summer. We would gather with friends, our mom would toss us some buckets, and we’d spend the morning searching for whatever berries were in season. The Alabama heat could be relentless, the mosquitoes always seemed to find us first, and blackberry thorns had a knack for scratching. Even so, none of us would have wanted to spend a summer without it.
If you grew up reading Blueberries for Sal, you probably understand the temptation to eat "just one more" berry while you're filling the bucket. We certainly did, and we still do. There is something irresistible about fruit picked straight from the bush, warmed by the summer sun.
These days, not much has changed. Every summer we recruit family and friends to help us forage berries, usually convincing everyone to come along by promising they can take home their fair share of the harvest. It turns out that's a pretty effective payment plan.
Our kids would probably tell you they contribute tremendously to the picking effort, and to be fair, they do. They also insist they aren't eating very many berries along the way. Their purple lips and stained fingers, however, tend to tell a different story.
Berry picking has a way of slowing everyone down. Little discoveries become exciting again, whether it's finding an especially full branch of ripe blackberries or spotting the biggest blueberry in the patch. By the end of the morning, everyone is a little hot, a little tired, and very happy to see a bucket filled with the fruits of their labor.
One of the things we love most about berry season is that it reminds us to enjoy food when it's naturally at its best. Fresh berries have an incredible flavor that's difficult to match, and because their season is relatively short, they never lose their sense of excitement. Waiting for those few weeks each summer somehow makes the first handful taste even better.
That appreciation for seasonal ingredients has shaped the way we've made tea from the very beginning. Whenever possible, we choose to work with local growers who share our love for quality produce, even when it requires a little more planning and flexibility.
Each year we're grateful to source strawberries and blackberries from J. Calvert Farms in Cullman, along with strawberries from Jerry Marsh Strawberry Farm in Locust. Partnering with local farmers allows us to support fellow Alabama businesses while filling our teas with fruit harvested at the height of the season. It isn't always the easiest way to make tea, but we believe it's the most rewarding - for us, for our farming friends, and for everyone who enjoys the finished cup.
The journey doesn't end when the berries leave the field. Once those berry-filled buckets arrive at our farm kitchen, the work is only just beginning! Every batch is carefully washed, prepared, and chopped before being dehydrated to preserve all that wonderful summer flavor. Once dried, the berries are ready to be blended into the teas you know and love, allowing us to enjoy the taste of berry season long after the bushes have stopped producing.
Those berries eventually find their way into several of our favorite blends. Briar Patch Brew has been with us since our very first summer of farmers markets, making it one of the longest-running seasonal traditions at Piper & Leaf. But it certainly isn't the only tea celebrating berry season. You'll also find delicious berries in Strawberry Sassyfrass, Lemon Berry Blush, Strawberry Shindig, and Pipermint Blues. Each blend offers its own unique take on the sweet, vibrant flavors that make summer so memorable.
Of course, not every berry ends up in tea. We always save the season’s excesses for our own kitchen, where it's transformed into homemade jams and preserves that fill our pantry shelves for the year ahead. There is something especially satisfying about opening a jar in the middle of winter and being reminded of warm mornings, scratched arms, berry-stained fingers, and buckets overflowing with the sweetness of summer.
Berry season never seems to last as long as we'd like. Before we know it, the bushes have finished producing, the buckets have been tucked away, and another Alabama summer has begun its slow march toward fall. Thankfully, those memories don't disappear quite so quickly.
Whether you're spending this summer filling buckets at a local berry farm, making homemade jam, reading Blueberries for Sal with little ones, or simply enjoying a glass of berry tea on the porch, we hope you take time to savor this wonderful season while it lasts. We believe some of life's sweetest moments are worth a few scratches from the brambles.
