Berry Goodness and Betty MacDonald

It's berry season, and nothing smells more deliciously sweet than a pot of crushed strawberries cooking on the stove for jam. Most people here head out to Graysmarsh Farm in Sequim for u-pick, but Tim's niece Deanna discovered a place out in Chimacum last year that has u-pick strawberries, so we went there yesterday and got about 4-5 gallons between us.

This farm is called Egg & I Gardens, located at 2027 Egg and I Road. Coming from Port Townsend, drive north down Center Road, turn left on Egg and I, and go another mile or so until you see the sign on the left. The owners, Doyle and Stephanie Yancey (no relation to the local musician named Gordy, but he gets that all the time, he said), planted the strawberries as ground cover and erosion control for a bank awhile back and got such good yield they decided to offer u-pick. At $5 a gallon (they have black plastic pots there for measuring) or $1.75 a pound, it's a much better deal than anything you'll buy in the store, and it doesn't take very long at all to pick a bunch. Bring the kids to help if you want, but the odds are stacked heavily against all of the berries making it into the bucket as you can see here by the evidence on Deanna's (and her partner Hans') son's face and clothes.

Egg and I Road is so named after the book The Egg and I, written by Betty MacDonald and published in 1945. In her book, MacDonald told humorous stories about life on a chicken farm in Chimacum on this road where she lived for a time with her first husband until she divorced him. A major bestseller, the book was made into a 1947 movie starring Claudette Colbert and Fred MacMurray.

Two characters in the book and movie, Ma and Pa Kettle, provide most of the comic relief in their portrayal as stereotypical country bumpkin, hillbilly types. Marjorie Main was nominated for an Academy Award for best supporting actress for her work as Ma Kettle in "The Egg and I" movie, and audiences found both her and Percy Kilbride who played "Pa" so hilarious that a series of Ma and Pa Kettle movies were produced by Universal Studios, mostly during the 1950s. Altogether, those films grossed an estimated $35 million and supposedly saved a struggling Universal Studios from bankruptcy.

But writing a book and telling stories about your neighbors can be a tricky deal as MacDonald found out when 10 plaintiffs sued her for libel in 1951. Collectively, they sought $975,000 in damages claiming that MacDonald has written an unflattering portrait of them.

A Spring 1998 article in Columbia: A Magazine of Northwest History published by the Washington State Historical Society tells the story of this lawsuit which was extensively covered by The Seattle Times during the jury trial. In the end, MacDonald was exonerated mainly because it was found that the Bishop family had used their association with MacDonald's book to their own advantage.

The Egg and I, despite its racist Native American language and exaggerated content, is a must-read for those who wish to learn more about farming history on the Olympic Peninsula. MacDonald wrote other books too, including the popular Mrs. Piggle Wiggle series which I loved reading when I was a kid.

Even though there were some tough times making a go of it on the farm (no one has ever said it is an easy life), the Bishops still live out in Chimacum. In fact, they have a dairy now which is part of the Organic Valley co-operative.

As for me, I made some jam with the strawberries. It was my first effort at it, and I'm still waiting to test the product, but I love looking at the jars filled with the sweet, ruby-red mixture. There was a little bit of trouble with the strawberries floating to the top because the syrup was heavier than the berries apparently, however a friend told me to shake the jars, and that seems to have mostly fixed the problem. I just hope it tastes good.