Berry well, thanks!

This has to be the best season - BERRY SEASON!  Not so much happiness because it's the end of the summer...  but it's BERRY SEASON!

As I was out and about on the new tractor cutting down all this summers heavy growth in the field I saw a yummy black glint out of the corner of my eye.  The kind of black glint only true berry lovers can see.  Right over at the edge of the field where the freshly cut grass and goldenrod met the gnarled brambles of the hedge row.

There I found a cache of wild growing, plump and very sweet black berries.

If you have ever picked domestic black berries you know they have thorns that can reach out and grab you - well the wild variety can ensnare even the most expert berry picker without any warning...  I knew aside from a few nibbles from the edge of the patch I had little hope of getting to the real berries that were deep within the hedge row.  I knew I had to leave the berries and return with reinforcements.  I thwarted the prickly sirens call - this time.

And being a person of my word - return I did.  Last night we took a berry hunting hike...  With my potato rake that will remain idle this year since all the potatoes fell victim to the blight - I figured it should still have the opportunity to work at helping me harvest SOMETHING.

Kelli also accompanied me on this hike - as she is the HBIC of the house (that's Head Berrypicker In Charge).  Her main role when we pick together is to ensure at least as many berries that I shove in my mouth end up in the basket.

But this particular treasure trove on the property was easy - as many as I could jam (no pun here) into my mouth - I could as equally toss that number into a container.  That tome defines "good berry picking".

At times I kept the gnarly canes at bay as Kelli picked - other times we were both in the barbed fray.  We did very well in about 10 minutes.   We both had full bellies and 2 full reused quart baskets...  and left far more on the bushes than we took.

So at the end of the short picking hike we had these two wild balckberry quarts picked - knowledge of where to get about 20 more filled just like this...  and some raspberries...  About them...

I admit - I have been remiss in telling Kelli about the raspberries.  The little tinny plants I put in this spring have grown a lot this year.  Frankly we weren't really expecting much of a harvest this first year as they get established...  but I have been scarfing down several hand fulls every night.  And the cat got out of the bag - Kelli is on to me.

What you see here in this picture is a sad representation of last nights harvest - as in we ate this down ot almost the bottom before I declared we needed a picture for the site.  That's not counting the hand fulls I ate while weeding the row!

Yup - the berries are rolling in - tonight...  I think I'll take a hike :)

Comments

[Jeph Remley]

Beautiful berries!!!!

[carol remley]

Max is on his way out to hunt for blueberries.

[Andy]

Max won't find much... if he's looking for BLUE-berries :)