They say in every cloud there’s a silver lining, and that certainly holds true this summer, as the abundant rain in June and early July have yielded a wild foods bonanza. If you’ve got the hunter-gather gene, like I do, you’ve probably already figured out that there’s a hefty crop of plump blueberries, juneberries, raspberries, and other wild foods just waiting in the woods.

But if you’re one of those fair weather berry pickers, who wait for the perfect conditions to pick enough for a pie or two, this weekend would be a great time to venture forth. The berries are out there.

I hardly need to tell the experienced pickers where to look, but for those of you relatively new to the hunt, there are three reliable places to find blueberries—on rocky outcrops dominated by pine or oak, in recent black spruce cutovers in area bogs, or along power line right of ways. Blueberries need plenty of sun, so adjust your search accordingly.

The high ground berries ripen early, in fact, my wife Jodi and I have been picking there since the 4th of July, while the swamp berries usually don’t ripen until very late July, and often stay firm until early September.

But don’t limit your wild foods gathering to blueberries. There’s a good crop of plump wild raspberries and the chokecherry crop looks like it will be exceptional. My wife uses chokecherries to make pancake syrup and juice, and they are also widely used to make wine.

Of course, come summer, I’m not just thinking berries. By mid-July, the chanterelles, my favorite mushrooms, are popping up in area pine stands. They can be pretty scarce in dry years, but this year is shaping up to be an excellent one. I’ve already picked hundreds of these mushrooms and the season has just begun!

While the rewards are definitely out there, be aware that the rain has led to another bumper crop— of mosquitoes and deer flies. So, by all means, wear long sleeves and pants, don your big floppy straw hat, and douse it all in a bit of bug dope. And don’t forget to prepare yourself mentally— in order to, you know, head off the temptation to run screaming from the woods when the hordes of insects descend.

They’ve got to eat, too, you know. And you’re a great, big, easy target!