Blackberry season

[deborahjross]

Just a note that there is such an abundance this year, I cannot hope to keep up with it. I'm not doing jam, as our pantry is full of guava, plum, and apricot jams from last year (and I don't have enough empty jam jars until we use some of it up), but I freeze them and make and freeze compote to put over ice cream or waffles or stir into yogurt.

Usually I pick from the three superb sites along the road, but this year, the little patch Dave preserved behind the garden has outdone them all. Berries half the size of my little thumb joint, sweet as honey. Oh, my. I went out there yesterday morning and stopped only when I had filled 9 pint baskets. In another week, there will be more.

My fingertips seem to have turned permanently purple. But we will have good eating and sweet memories of summer all winter long...

Comments

[lingster1.livejournal.com]

Your post reminded me of mu childhood vacations at a Great-Aunt's thatched cottage in the Essex countryside. She used to take me blackberrying along the lanes and then made jam or wine from the berries. The jam was wonderful (I didn't get to try the wine!)

[deborahjross.livejournal.com]

I wonder if it's the same variety of berries. I remember someone (Dave, maybe) telling me that these "wild" ones are actually hybrids of true wild blackberries and loganberries (or something like that). Still thorny as all get out, but larger and juicier.

One of the things I missed, living in SoCal, was blackberries. You can get heat-tolerant varieties, but like all of them, once you put them in, you NEVER get rid of them. Tenacious little scamps.

[manawolf.livejournal.com]

OM NOM NOM NOM god I was just telling otana how much I love blackberries. They are particularly good over ice cream... but also lovely over Trader Joe's Greek yogurt with honey. And granola.

I'm drooling.

[deborahjross.livejournal.com]

I'll set aside some canned compote for you.

[manawolf.livejournal.com]

Eeeeee!

[equesgal.livejournal.com]

Makes me long for some blueberries i can mash into something yummy!

[deborahjross.livejournal.com]

Blueberries are our next step. It takes a couple of years to get the bushes establishes, and you need two (they're romantic), but they do okay in this climate. And no thorns!

My friend Bonnie, who lives outside of Portland, has a whole patch of them, freezes them in Ziplock bags for eating all year. They freeze whole very well.

[(Anonymous)]

Interesting that you've got blackberries on your bushes but we don't. *raises a brow*

~Rose

[deborahjross.livejournal.com]

They bear (heavily) every other year, do better when they're viciously hacked back. Maybe the canes on yours are too young or too old?