A Forest Treat Blackberries

One of my favorite childhood memories is picking blackberries in the woods behind my house. The area was called the Gully(I guess because there had been a scooped out area made by bulldozers back in the early Fifties. You know I've lived here in the same house all my life and I honestly don’t know why it’s called that). I remember my Mom taking a huge bowl as she , myself,,and handful of neighborhood kids went amongst the little hills and valleys picking this sweet treat(my dad went too , mainly to "chaperone") The brambles don’t exist anymore but I can still get my favorite summer time berry. You can too, at any local store.

The blackberry has been around since ancient times. Blackberry plants or bramble bushes were mentioned in the Bible. The Greeks used it to cure gout while the Romans used it in tea to treat various illnesses. They were popular in Colonial America , being mostly grown in Georgia and what is now present day Alabama. Back then the plants grew up to six feet high and wild. We have the botanist, the great Luther Burbank along with fellow Southern Californian Judge Logan, to thank for our modern day breed. They had bred the berries so they were plump and succulent. They also bred a thornless blackberry bush and also cross bred different blackberries to produce sweeter fruit along with minimal thorns.

Start berry picking if you have the brambles on your property or in nearby woods. Just be careful of the long , almost hypodermic like thorns. These are very sharp and can cause more than just little jabs. You can wind up with some severe tearing and bleeding if you’re not careful. Wear jeans and a long sleeved tee or shirt. Bring along protective gardening gloves if you want to. Don’t wear sandals or flip flops because your feet can also get cut up, Sneakers with white gym socks are your best bet in protecting your feet, no matter how hot it is outside. Also have a large basket or bowl to drop your berries into. Don’t want to go through all that fuss and bother? Your local supermarket also carries them. Look for shiny plump black ones that don’t have a white coating of mold. If they’re bitter tasting just add sugar to balance out the tartness.

You can serve your blackberries with fresh cream, milk or vanilla ice cream. I used to like mine with sugar and milk. You can make blackberry pancakes or muffins with them but they will be a little seedy like strawberries. Crush them with some red or white vinegar to make a blackberry vinaigrette for your summer salads. They can also be added to champagne for an extra kick.

Blackberries are a sweet sign summer is here, To me they represent a part of my childhood full of good taste and sweet flavor . Enjoy them fresh picked from your yard or supermarket.