Blackberry Picking Time!

Some things in life are really worth the pain.  Babies, for instance.  Some would say cosmetic surgery.  I want to add another one to the list…blackberries!

Come end of April and beginning of May, the Deep South sets one of its most alluring traps.  Blackberries, dangerously surrounded by thorns, poison ivy, and snakes, start calling my name.  And every year, I answer their call.  I victoriously emerge with gallons of berries that I can freeze for the upcoming year.  But I also un-victoriously emerge with bloody hands and poison ivy all over my arms and legs.  (Fortunately, no snake bites yet!)

Well, this year, I am prepared.  I have my gloves, my snake stick, and my research on how to wash all the poison ivy oils out of my clothing.  So no bloody hands and itchy arms for me!

Here are the precautions that I recommend you take when braving the thorns and poison ivy:

• Wear a LIGHT long-sleeved shirt and pants.  Tuck your pants into your socks.  (Don’t worry; no one will see you like this :)).
• Wear gloves that don’t encumber your blackberry picking.
• Bring a long stick that you can poke around with.  You want to alert the snakes that you are coming before you go stomping into the bushes.
• As soon as you get back to your car, remove the gloves, shoes, socks, pants, and shirt that you wore.  (I wear a t-shirt and shorts underneath all of my picking attire).  Quickly, before letting them touch anything else, stuff them into a plastic grocery bag.
• As soon as you get home, wash them TWICE on the hottest setting possible, then dry them on hot as well.

Pants tucked into socks…check. Gloves…check. Snake stick…check. Look ridiculous…check.

If you live in an area where blackberries grow, I encourage you to make use of the bounty!  Blackberries are absolutely delicious, and freeze very well.   Not to mention their incredible health benefits:

• Anthocyanins, which give blackberries their dark color, are an antioxidant shown to reduce inflammation. As an antioxidant, they destroy free radicals in the body that harm cells and lead to cancer.
• Vitamin C in blackberries acts as an antioxidant, and one cup of this delicious berry contains half of the daily recommendation of vitamin C.
• As are all berries, blackberries are a great source of ellagic acid, an antioxidant shown to protect the skin from damage from ultraviolet light.
• Just one cup of blackberries contains over thirty percent of the daily recommended amount of fiber.

After years of trying to find the perfect “secret blackberry spot”, we finally found it last year.  When looking for the perfect spot, make sure shade is involved.  Blackberries will shrivel into hard, crunchy things if they’re allowed to bake in the sun all day.  And I’ve also found that they grow really well along the edge of some woods, or along a fence.  They seem to like to be at the border of something.

We have started bringing our two boys, and they are now addicted blackberry pickers!  They emerge with purple beards on their sweet little faces, as they don’t pick to keep, they pick to eat.  🙂

Last week at our first blackberry outing, we picked enough to make a large cobbler for dessert and blackberry smoothies for breakfast the next day.  The cobbler was delicious!  And to further entice you to experience the joy of nature’s FREE blackberry bounty, I’m going to share my Blackberry Cobbler Recipe with you on my next post!

Blackberry picking is such a fun (and free!) thing to do with a young family!  There are many little “nature” lessons that you can discuss with your children while you pick, and you get a yummy reward at the end!

Please share any experiences you have had doing this as a family, or any blackberry recipes!

Lauren Souers

Hi, my name is Lauren. I am the wife of one fine man and the momma of four (huge) young children – three boys and one princess! I love all of them. I mostly clean up messes and feed people all day, and it’s really fun to write about it. Jesus is the rock of my family – we love and serve a mighty King! I hope you leave here full of hope that “tired” can be good.