I've picked more blackberries this year than ever before.
It's been a really good year for them with the abundant spring rain we've had - and on my last trip out to the wild thickets there were still plenty of red, immature berries on the canes, promising to ripen and provide more fruit should I want to go picking again.
On this morning, as I leaned through the thorny canes in reach of the next ripe black-purple jewel, I enjoyed the cool breeze that lied about the afternoon heat to come and listened to my neighbor's cows bawl to their calves. Birds sang in the woods behind me.
My yellow farm dog Cracker sprawled out nearby, tired out from chasing off anything that might threaten me. What a great morning.
During a decade of berry-picking, I've decided that Velcro® was invented by someone who spent his childhood summers caught in a tangle of blackberry thorns.
I've also made up a list of the unofficial Rules of Blackberry Picking - which, by the way, also make a good list of Rules for Life.
1. Map out a path before you start. Before you start climbing into a thicket full of nasty thorns, look ahead and have a plan - also have a path in mind when you back out of the thicket.
2. Be aware of the dangers around you. Keep your eyes and your face safe, and keep thorns from catching in your hair and your clothing.
3. Ask for help when you're stuck.
4. Don't procrastinate. Yes, it's hot, but the peak of harvest waits for no woman.
5. Have patience. Berry picking isn't a sprint, neither is life. Take your time. Enjoy the experience.
.
6. Change your perspective. By looking up, and then down, you'll find berries that were hidden before. When you get to the end of the thicket, go back the way you came to spot berries you might have missed the first time.
7. Don't be greedy. Be willing to share with the wildlife.
8. Friends make work fun, and time go faster.
9. Sing loudly. It scares off the wildlife.
10. Life has sweet berries, sour berries and thorns, just like a blackberry thicket. But in the end the day is worth it.
Gathered Goods
Hand-picked tools, books, and everyday helpers we love:
Wide-Brimmed Sun Hat - Protect your face and neck from the summer sun while you’re out picking berries or working in the garden. I like one with a chin strap so it stays put even on breezy days.
Berry Picking Basket – This wire mesh basket keeps berries inside the basket, no matter what size they are. Also handy in the garden for vegetables and other fruits, for picnics and for kitchen storage.
Thorn‑Proof Rose Pruning Gloves – Blackberry canes fight back! These long, protective gloves will save your arms and hands while you reach in for those perfectly ripe berries. (Beekeepers gloves will work too!)
~~~~~
.jpg)
