It's about time!

I am so excited to pass on the news that this morning I went on my first blackberry picking adventure this year. I managed to pick about a quart and a half which isn't that much but at the same time well worth the trip. I found a sweet new honey hole at the back of our farm that I spent a good ten minutes picking at.

As I was on the Arctic Cat trolling about the edge of the woods I kept thinking of tips to pass on to others who may or may not have ever been blackberry picking before. Now I am not necessarily talking about tame blackberries that you pick at an orchard, just plain ole wild growing blackberries. The kind that you have to risk chiggers, weeds and poison ivy over. Those are the best and only kind for me.

Anyway, here are some tips for picking blackberries... wild on the farm, road side or where ever your good luck takes you.

• Be sure to wear your rubbers. And by rubbers I mean footwear. I wear my rain boots because they are tall and thick and I am virtually invincible when I have them on. There is really no where I can't go and you need that to step on brush to get to the good stuff.
• Long pants are a must. Duh... or else you're gonna get scratched and bleed from the thorns. I know it's hot but you just have to tough it out for chiggers sake!
• Which brings me to bug spray. I literally have to buy the decent flowery smelling kind because during the summer I wear it like perfume. I am a mosquito magnet. Plus it helps to keep the ticks and chiggers away. Of course my husband is the chigger magnet in our household. I swanee he could get chigger bites in a swimming pool.
• One gardening glove. I use this to pull and hold other branches back. You'll find that you wish you had one when the first thorn enters the back of your hand. You can wear one on each hand if you want to. Personally I like the dark stains around my cuticles and under my nails. Sort of like war paint.
• I don't think I have to mention sunscreen. But I will mention a nice, decently sized straw hat. They help to keep you cool while protecting your face and neck from sun damage. I even have the Mister wearing one this year!
• Containers. Now here's my tip. Take a few of these. Small ones like berry baskets to put berries in as you pick. Also I recommend taking about a 9x13 cake pan. Blackberries bruise very easily. Especially when you start piling them on top of each other. The little bit of weight will smash the ones on the bottom... not good.
• Watch where you go. Remember that you are in somebody else's world. There are bird nests inside of briers and all sorts of other creatures that live there. So please just take the berries and leave everything else like you found it.
• Look before you reach. I know it's tempting and I have done it too. You just reach right on in there after the big one. Twice today I reached and almost pulled back a bee. They are doing their jobs. Look first.

Remember to have fun. The best time of the day is in the morning because it's much more enjoyable than in the heat of the day.
P.S. I am predicting a drought for this summer