Blackberries

     The wild blackberries are earlier than ever before.  This year everything is 2- 3 weeks early.  I started picking some last week and this week I have picked several quarts.  Blackberries are one of those things that people get nostalgic about.  They remember as a kid walking along the side of a country road and picking blackberries.  They did not mind how hot or eaten up with bugs they got.  It is all about the berries!  Unfortunately wild blackberries are becoming increasingly harder to find.  Most counties spray or if you are lucky mow the side of roads.  I hike for several miles to the backside of my property where it is wilderness to pick them.

     I love picking blackberries, but one of the worst things about picking the berries are the chiggers.  No matter how much or where I put on bug repellent, I get eaten up with chigger bites.  Chiggers and blackberries are like peas in a pod.  Chigger bites also show up a day after you have been picking.

     While you are picking blackberries be sure to look out for dewberries.  They start to ripen as the blackberries are fading away.  Dewberries have darker green leaves and a rounder, softer fruit.  Be careful picking them because they squish easily.