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Picking Blackberries

Of all the events of sweet Summertime, there is one especially that I look forward to.

Picking Blackberries

Picking Blackberries involves becoming incredibly purple, watching out for prickly thorns, and eating almost as much as you pick. Picking blackberries is not an art, you just have to know your colors.

This is a great sensory activity for little ones. Farm Fit Girl learned the difference between red and black and in between. She learned the black ones are soft and taste good while the red ones are hard and not sweet enough to eat.

She also found those thorns at first, but learned to feel around them. The thorns poked her little pink skin and it did not feel good to her!

When blackberries are formed in the late spring, they are red. They slowly turn pink or orange before they turn black. Believe me, that is a long time. I love picking blackberries, but I especially love eating them.

Picking Wild Blackberries

When ready to pick, the blackberries are soft and juicy. If you were to squeeze a blackberry while still on the vine, it would pop right off if it is ripe. Even though you will eat many blackberries, don’t forget your bucket or sack to put them in and take them home. In our zone, blackberries are ready to be picked around the end of June.

I love fresh blackberries, but I usually pick enough to freeze for the winter. At home, I wash them and de-stem them. Next, I let them dry on a paper towel. Once dried, I lay them out onto a large cookie sheet (make sure they aren’t touching!) and put them into the freezer. An hour later, the blackberries should be frozen solid and I can put them into freezer bags. This makes it easy for me to just grab a cup or a handful when I need them and not the entire bag.

Picking blackberries is one of my favorite summer past times. Stay tuned for posts on delicious recipes using our wild blackberries.

~Much Love~

Mindy