The briar patch

Mom and I got out picked another 2 gallon"s of Blackberries last night. That is a total of about 4 gallons in two days as we found the mother load of berries and picked out of just one patch. I have never seen such a berrie crop, usually I get maybe 2 quarts and I have 2 hit several spots to get that many. I believe this year if I had the time I could pick a truck load. I froze the berries from Monday for dumplings and a cobbler, Tari and mom are going to make jam today with what we got last night. I am going to go pick again Thursday weather permitting as I want to try and make some blackberries wine. As mom and I have been picking she told me that it has been over 40 years since she had been Berrie picking and this year she has been 3 times with me.

She told me that when she was a girl and the berries where in that she would be up at daylight and in the berrie patch. Grandpa and grandma would be waiting on her and her water bucket full of berries and start making jelly just as soon as she walked into the door. She also told about the time she was picking and almost grabbed a snake by the head as it was laying up in the berries.

My mother and I as well as the family love Blackberries as well as raspberries but my father would not eat them or pick them. He told me the reason was that when he was a kid that

was all they had sweet was berries and that grandma made jelly with everyone she could get a hold of. But my uncle Ken loves to pick berries and when he first retired and went to Bainbridge

not only did he pick some for himself but he picked and sold them the Mennonite's as they used them for pies. He would take a gallon of water and get on the 4 wheeler and ride up into a clear cut area where the first thing to grow back was blackberry briars. In fact he is the one that showed me how to make blackberry dumplings. Uncle Ken is now 71 years old and I visted with him some this past Sunday and as I was leaving he said hey Beach are the berries ripe up on the hill? I told him they were and he said I think I will go up and pick a few this week.

I was at the market Monday getting some sweet corn and the market was selling

blackberries for $7.50 a quart, as of last night we have picked about 6 gallons total and will have enough jam and berries for several cobblers and batches of dumplings. All it cost me, getting to spend quality time with my mother and family. What a bargain , memories are priceless