Last week I lined up my sister-in-law to babysit, threw some extra clothes in a bag, and headed out with a friend for a day of blackberry picking adventures. I say adventures because we didn’t do any of that “pick your own” nicely groomed berry-farm stuff. Oh, no. We picked wild blackberries. We traipsed through overgrown woods, bramble patches, plots of poison ivy, and weeds towering a foot over my head. We knocked on doors and got permission to pick in fields that hadn’t seen the business side of a tractor in years. We survived wasps, bumble bees, sweat jackets, Japanese beetles, and spiders of unusual size. (Spiders like blackberries, did you know?) We sweated. We got sunburned. Oh the pain, but oh the berries.
I was relaxing on Tuesday morning, recovering from the blackberry adventures, contemplating the blackberry cobbler I would make
that day (recipe with photos here), idly flipping through the paper when I saw the little story on the top of the page: “It’s Blueberry Picking Time!” Oh no, I thought, I can’t handle anymore. But I will. I’ve got the berry fever. At least blueberries don’t have thorns.
If you’re a berry fan, like me, this is the time to go pick berries. It’s local, it supports farmers in your area, and it saves on the emissions required to ship those “foreign” berries to your grocery store. And there’s nothing that tastes better than a handful of sun-warmed, ripe, juicy berries that you just picked. The only thing better might be a pie made out of them. So check out these resources: PickYourOwn.org has a state-by-state listing of PYO farms, as well as canning and preserving instructions and fruit/vegetable guides (growing facts, how much do I need to pick, recipes, and picking tips).
Blueberries, by the way, contain lots of antioxidants, which everyone knows are very good for you. And if you go pick your own you’ll get exercise. The next morning, when you eat blueberry pancakes with butter and syrup, you can feel entirely justified.
Aside: What if you don’t like berries? Never fear. Peaches are in season, now, too.
I love to pick blackberries! We have alot of black bears around, so you have to be really aware, but that adds to the adventure, I think. I also make blackberry cobbler with my pickings. Insanely delicious!
Oh my goodness. It’s been years since I’ve picked blackberries and this makes me want them soooo bad.
We have wild berries growing where I live I must go and get some this year, I could make a mean baked cheese cake with them.