Blackberries
Friday, August 6, 2010 at 8:03AM 
When we cleared our land six years ago to build our home, all along the edge of our woods grew blackberry brambles. Everywhere.
They are just now starting to ripen.. and if you look (not too hard), you can find some sweet, juicy berries.
We still have about a two week wait for the real windfall to happen.
The kids and I eat what we pick right away. The berries don't even make it inside!
I'm always amazed at the variety of sizes.. we have jumbo goliaths (my name) and teeny weenies.
Nothing can quite match the sweetness of the itty bitty ones, but when you find one the size of your thumb, it's amazing! The large one is the biggest we could find the other day, but we have some almost twice that not quite ripe yet.
Blackberry facts:
If there is even one red/pink tiny fruit on the berry, it's not quite ripe yet. Don't pick it unless you are looking for a tart, snappy taste. It won't ripen after being picked. the softer and plump it is, the sweeter the berry.
Each tiny ball is a single, individual fruit with it's own seed. Hence all the seeds when you eat them. Think of them like teeny weenie grape clusters.
They are filled with anthocyanins, powerful antioxidants and are said to help prevent cancer.
You can use them in any recipe calling for berries, like muffins, jams, jellies, tarts, etc...
They make fun ammunition in Berry Wars.. yesterday my children fired them off at each other and smeared them everywhere!
Just thought you'd like to know...
xoxo~
Abbie
New Hampshire, family, house, summer 
Reader Comments (8)
I LOVE blackberries! You are so blessed to have them in your yard. I remember picking them on my grandparents' farm when I was a kid (and stirring up a wasp's nest once). My dad made jam and jelly with them. But the first thing I thought of when I saw those juicy pictures was Blackberry Cobbler. I hope you get to make one :)
Such beautiful fruit! I'm afraid they grow wild in my garden - there are parts I just can't tame! But it will be a while before there are any ripe enough for picking here in the UK - its been cold and wet for the last two weeks!
Mmmmmm... yummy!
Berry wars? Sounds like great fun, but did you gather them up again? Ha! I love blackberries and remember with great fondness the rows my parents had when they first bought their property. My father mowed them down. Typical of him.
we had enough raspberries this year to have berry wars!! your black berries look yummy!!
We have a new home up here in maine and have been picking blackberries for two weeks now. I think I have a scratch for every one! Made the most wonderful pie last night!
We have huge bushes bordering our property. Fortunately, no one ever visits the property so the bounty is all ours. I'm hoping to keep little fingers from eating all that get picked so I can put up some jam. We'll see how that goes!
Oh..those pictures are wonderful! Blackberries look delicious-
sandy toe