I picked blueberries last month before my west coast tour travels. The muscle memory of plucking little purple prizes from long rows of bushes delivered me straight back to Mood’s farm in New Jersey, where I picked blueberries with my friends Audra and Liz last year.

Perhaps the most fun part of seasonal eating is the thread, a year-long stitch, pulling us together after so many other in-season exploits have passed in between. Now, just a few days shy of last year’s blueberry plum basil jam, I’m remembering the treat of sharing seasonal food with others, missing my pals now across the country.

Food trends and projects may flit in and out of our lives, but once you’ve shared a U-Pick adventure or even just tasted an in-season, local fruit (vs. its bland always-available supermarket counterpart), you won’t go back. You wait until next year to enjoy blueberries that grew in your region. You don’t have time to be sad because you’ll be wooed by the next ripening fruit/veg in a few weeks.

Who knew all that emotion and perspective could fit within a blueberry? I look forward to years to come and friends with whom to share the seasons. I know I’m new to the food scene, but I hope to never take for granted the good fortune of sharing what’s in season with friends.