The other morning I was out working in my garden. A neighbour walking by, stopped and commented on my gladiolus. We shot the breeze for a few minutes and as she was leaving, she asked if I wanted to come and pick blackberries behind her place. She promised there was an abundance.
So Saturday, armed with a 3 liter pail I arrived at her doorstep. She directed me to the patch out back of her lawn. She wasn't kidding when she said they were prolific. There was about an acre of brambles, and although they had been picked over once or twice already, there were thousands of little black jewels glistening in the bright sunshine.
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| These are not from the actual patch, I didn't have my camera with me, Saturday. These are a few bushes out behind my house just to give you an idea of what they kind of look like. Now multiply the fruit tenfold. |
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| Little black gems |
In half an hour or so, I had nearly filled my 3 liter pail, when Marie arrived on her four wheeler, brandishing another larger pail and a belt. "Thought you might need something more to pick into, and with the belt, you can pick with both hands." Good point!
So a couple hours later, I came home with about 10 liters of luscious berries (probably about a liter inside me as well!). I don't want to pretend it was all a picnic. The sun was blazing hot, and blackberries are very friendly by nature. They cling very tenaciously to you - they are the thorniest of bushes. I have lots of scratches and scabs to prove I was there.
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| Mmmmm! |
The missus spread most of them all out on cookie tins, and put them in the freezer to freeze up. Once they are firm, we will bag them and then they can be served up individually all winter long. My neighbour suggests that they make the finest of pies, as well - oh, if only we weren't so health conscious in our household. Perhaps I can slip a pie into the mix come Thanksgiving or Christmas.
And that is about all I have to say for today.
Musings and meanderings from the Musical Gardener.
When I lived in Georgia I went wild blackberry picking. Back home in Ont., it was primarily blueberries. But on this latest trip to the Northwest, there were gobs of brambles--behind minimarts, in the medians on the freeway, and along side the roads. Given time and a bucket, I could have picked a bundle! I guess it wasn't on my "bucket" list. :-)
ReplyDeleteBeauties!! I picked wild black raspberries on my walk today.
ReplyDeleteOh, how wonderful they look. When I went to visit my daughter, we all went berry picking. It is addictive and it is hard to say "enough". There is always one more beauty. Bon Appetit`!
ReplyDeleteBlackberry cobbler with vanilla ice cream ... that's the ticket!
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