Thursday, July 22, 2010

OH BOY! Wild Blackberries - YUM-M- M.....or not so much.....

So far this year we've had a pretty fruitful summer season back in the woods. Wild flowers were in abundance, both red and black raspberries were unbelievably tasty, wild strawberries could found, and I've been SO WAITING for the Blackberries! While Angela and I were working on our Great Gardening Challenge, I found a new patch of these beauties just waiting to ripen! They found a very convenient spot to grow - just over my split rail fence, where I can easily pick them without having to enter MOSQUITO-VILLE and risk unwanted 'needle sticks' by those blood thirsty varmints! The berries were hard and dark green the week of my discovery, and the beginning of THIS week - look at 'em! I thought perhaps by Friday I'd be able to harvest a few for making a smoothie! I found a great recipe I'd like to try, using vanilla flavored soy milk and agave syrup - it even suggests tossing in a few sunflower seeds and cayenne.... Not sure about that part, but perhaps I'd try it with the last few sips of my drink, if I'm brave that day!

Plenty of rain in our area has helped the berries and wild flowers take off in their growing sprees. The mosquitoes are unbelievably large as well, and thrive in the vegetation that seems to be overtaking our yard. We have an electric fence that keeps shorting out because of large amounts of thick stalked plants that are springing up all over. When it shorts out, horses can escape. After arriving home from work yesterday, Mr. Wonderful fired up his gas weed eater and began trimming! The fencer was once again working properly!

I was fixing dinner when he finished weed wacking, and he was so happy to have that huge chore completed. He remarked how POWERFUL that weed eater was, and invited me to have a look at his handiwork through the large picture windows. I could not help but stare in awe, mouth wide open, at the superb job he had done! All around my little garden, it looked so serene and beautiful! And behind the split rail fence - empty space! He made quick and easy work of removing those pesky blackberry brambles, before they had a chance to claim any MORE of our yard space! Imagine THAT!

I remained speechless for a moment. In times like these, I always think to myself "if the world ends tomorrow, will this episode in time really matter??" Naaaah! And, Blackberries at the store cost only $3.00 a pint.

Fruitfully Yours -

10 comments:

Jane said...

I love blackberries - for whatever reason, we have had very few around here this year. Let me know how your smoothie turns out!

Jane

Carmen S. said...

YUMMY! Those look wonderful and I can just taste a fresh slice of blackberry pie.......

Love Of Quilts said...

LOL that was cute the way you wrote it...poor hubby never new a thing did he. Trish

Angela said...

#$%# Do you want me to beat him with a stick!!!! What is it with men! You know he had to have seen those black beauties on there! Sigh.... Around here you can't buy the wild ones but you can buy the tame ones at a big big price. And I don't think they would taste as good.

I do know your disappointment of not getting to have the blackberries for all of the treats you wanted to make. There have been times when I just can't get to them or just this year someone stole the ones that were at moms house that I was going to get. Thiefs!!!!

Hope you can have a wonderful day despite your loss....

Angela

Good to be a Queen said...

Georgia had a great year for Blackberries as well...No such luck having mine weedwacked...Mine are in jars at the masters command...(He who thinks we live on the prairie with 12 children to feed...our children are grown)....

Diann said...

I love blackberries. Well, I love all berries! LOL

Up at our family cabin we have a huge blackberry patch that just grows wild along side of the road. it was a loved and dreaded time spent picking berries when we were kids.

Rose said...

we have blackberry bushes. it hurts if not careful when picking love the taste of these wonderful fruit

Chatty Crone said...

Oh Monica - I am hearing how sweet Mr. Wonderful is. How sweet. And the blackberries - need a little sugar! lol

sandie

scdd said...

I think I would have cried! I harvested some of our blackberries today and noticed our Corgi, Blondie, picking her own off of the lower branches. First birds and now the dog??? Don't worry, those "pesky" blackberry brambles will be back next year.

^..^Corgidogmama said...

G'day! I like using the vanilla soymilk in smoothies as well.
Had a coupon for a McD's smoothie sample and tried it today. Ours, made at home, taste SO much better!
Those berries look wonderful.