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When the hot and sticky days of summer are in full swing, and there is no where in the city to go to where the kids have not already been countless times, head out to the country. The heavy thick air of the summer day will become less oppressive as you leave behind the fringes of the city. There are many great things to do in the country, one of which is berry picking.

As you prepare to leave the house, plan to pack snacks, sandwiches and plenty of bottles of water. Place chips into individual serving bags, which are vacuum-packed using a vacuum food sealer. Sandwiches are also kept fresh using a sealer. You might also consider taking a sealer handheld kit with you so that the berries can be placed in containers to be sealed on site.

Dress in old clothes or at least in something you do not mind getting dirty and even torn. Be sure everyone has sneakers or similar shoes on, and that they are all wearing socks. In the berry patch the ground will have many twigs and even thorny bushes, along with squished berries and even small ditches where tiny animals live. Wearing sandals will be a big mistake. Be sure everyone has on a cap or hat, and if they are reluctant to wear one, then be sure they have plenty of sunscreen on their faces. Sunscreen will have to be reapplied throughout the day.

Set out early in the morning, this way you not only avoid the crowds that may have come up with the same idea to go berry picking, you also are more likely to encounter less traffic on the road to the orchard. Once you have arrived with your kids to the berry patch, be sure to leave the windows of the car a crack open and place a sun shield across the windshield to help keep the car cooled down while you are out among the bushes and other berry pickers.

Take lightweight pails for each kid to carry and fill. Most people will eat a berry for each that they put in their pail, so messy clothes, fingers and faces are to be expected. Be sure to take extra wet wipes for the fuzzy picker and some extra bug repellent to shoo away bees and mosquitoes. The wipes can be stored and made compact by sealing them ahead of time in vacuum-packed bags.

A few hours of berry picking will result in several buckets of juicy berries. Once at home, you can use a heavy duty vacuum food sealer to package them and freeze them, or you can use one of the marinating canisters to soak the berries in a mixture of brown sugar and cloves to be pureed later and vacuum sealed in separate containers to be placed in the refrigerator.

At the end of the day, your kids will be able to feast on berry compote or berry slush made from the very fruit they picked. As they lie in their beds, worn out from the physical work out they had in the berry patch, they are sure to feel a sense of pride and satisfaction. They are certain to remember that day for years to come.

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