Monday, August 18, 2014

They Emerged Scratched, but Victorious

We managed to pick 8 liters of wild blackberries this week, the equivalent of four icecream buckets.  Many scratches later from the brambles we have one of the best harvests of the past few years.  Mom joined me in picking my usual patch which is in an abandoned field directly across from where she lives.  If we wanted there are many more ripening but there is only so much room in the freezer.  These will be used for blackberry brandy (berries, vodka, sugar, put in canning jars for months turning each few weeks, will be ready for Christmas), frozen blackberries that will later be turned blackberry jam when the weather is cooler, and several containers for muffins and pancakes during the winter.  It is not easy to harvest blackberries, as you must wear jeans and long sleeved shirts and be prepared to fight the thorny vines in a battle for the berry.

The first night we picked Mom got a rather bad scratch on her arm and due to medication, started bleeding more than normal.  We called it an early night since someone drove by right at that very moment and we were sure they were going to call the cops saying that an elderly lady had been assaulted in the neighborhood (*Mom is a spry 71 and would be insulted if I called her elderly, I say that in jest).  We finished off last night with only scratches and no major wounds.

Do you forage for berries this time of year?  If so what kind of free food is harvested?

27 comments:

  1. Yep, that settles it, gotta go berry foraging. The area gets pretty dry and it's slim pickings often but it's worth a hunt :D

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. And vegan friendly! Finally, a food I like you can eat!

      Delete
  2. We are lucky, or not so lucky, depending on which way you look at it, to have bushes all around our property. We have fresh picked berries on our cereal every morning. On the down side the plant is invasive and we have to cut it back every year.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. I know, so bloody invasive really, they do a big slashing of invasive species each spring but it seems like there is more of it every year.

      Delete
  3. Yes, daily! A lot of our garden is taken over at this time of year and I have my empty parental home over the road to raid, too.
    So far its been blackberry & yoghurt muffins, blackberry & rhubarb crumble and some spicy blackberry chutney. I never wear jeans though! xxx

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Crumble sounds tasty, I might have to make one. I did just make some muffins on the weekend to tide me over for the week. Chutney sounds tasty too - maybe when we do the jam we will try some chutney.

      Delete
  4. I had a great vacation but am missing all the great berries. I still have some canned and jam from last year so won't worry too much. Our freezer is way too small for any frozen packages. - Margy

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. There are still a few that are ripening, we had a hot summer but in our patch there were still lots left to ripen. I had been cleaning out my freezer of older meat just to make room for all these berries.

      Delete
  5. When my father in law was alive he foraged for pecans. There were tons of them in the freezer when we moved here, but we tossed them because they were many years old. I don't know where he got them but I'll have to find out.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Pecans! That would be awesome, they are so bloody expensive to buy.

      Delete
  6. They don't grow here..wild raspberries that have no taste and the texture of bullets do!
    Jane x

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. I have never seen wild raspberries. We have some different berries here on the island from the interior, some called salal and I have also seen the odd gooseberry and wild grape.

      Delete
  7. You are lucky that you have somewhere to go to forage. It sounds like a fun adventure.
    Every so many years we go apple picking, does that count? Mind you, its at an orchard that we have to pay to pick but its something right?

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. If there is no foraging to be had apple picking counts in my books. I am hoping to find a friend with a plentiful tree this year for my apples.

      Delete
  8. LOVE the hunt of berries - ANY KIND is SOOOO worth it - GOOD JOB! (and that sounds like the kind of 'outing' Me and my 'spry 81yr' Mom would do!!)

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. I am kind of thinking we might go back for another pick, I hate to leave them all for the birds :)

      Delete
  9. Oh the memories...my dad knew the location of every berry within 100km, me not so much. His favourite was elderberries and I do know 1 or 2 locations but it's the ripening time I'm not familiar with. You have a small window of time from when they ripen til they are demolished by the birds. We used to bring garbage bags full of elderberries home but it would take hours and hours of picking the tiny little buggers from their stems to make one pie! It was a whole family effort!

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. I have never tried elderberries but we used to pick wild blue berries and wild strawberries in the summer in the interior of BC. We also grew lots of raspberries.

      Delete
  10. Do you need my address to send the blackberry brandy to? haha

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. It wouldn't make it as far as the Post office, I am afraid. When we break into it it goes with everything, especially icecream!

      Delete
  11. I forgot to tell you that I love the title of this post, it sounds like a book title. There is so much you could do with it!

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Feel free to steal the title :) I will never write a book (especially after helping hubby edit his) so run with it!

      Delete
  12. Thanks so much for stopping by to welcome me back to the land of blogs!

    I had wild blackberry bushes lining my property when I live in Ocala Florida so I know exactly what you mean, but boy was it ever worth it it for those fresh delicious berries! Where I live in Florida now the only place to get them is at the grocery store - blah!

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. This is the only place I have lived where they are so plentiful, but they are an invasive species so locals around here often cut them back each spring. Still, there are always plenty to harvest.

      Delete
  13. Looks so yummy, but anything with blackberries I'm not real fond of, sort of the same with raspberries. But give me anything with a blueberry in it I'm yours. So glad you had such good luck picking and Momma is ok.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. I love blueberries too but have resorted to buying those. I need to get a couple more batches for the freezer so we can enjoy them during winter as well when prices are sky high. Blueberry pancakes are my favorite.

      Delete
  14. No foraging for me. But I'll eat whatever anyone else picks... and washes!

    ReplyDelete