Blackberry Picking

     It's blackberry picking time in Louisiana.  Blackberry bushes are growing wild all over the sides of the highway and in the woods here.  Last year my husband found a wonderful sugarcane field that had the sweetest berries not far from our house.  About a month or too after picking the berries, the owners cut down ALL of the bushes!  So this year we had to find another place to pick.  

A friend of ours has a hunting lease and offered to let us go there.  When I say this was a remote area, I am NOT kidding.  We had to get on a four wheeler and head into the woods for a mile or two in the middle of nowhere.... with snakes and other wildlife to keep us company! 

We picked berries for about 3 hours in the heat of the day, but we were rewarded for our efforts.

There is one drawback to picking berries in the wild.  Did I mention that I am allergic to poison ivy?  I know I should have worn long sleeves, but it was HOT!  After using lots of calamine lotion for the last couple of weeks, I think I am finally getting rid of it...

We ended up freezing about 11 gallons of blackberries.  I take them out a gallon or two at a time when I'm ready to make jelly or tarts.  Time to stock up on sugar, fruit pectin, and mason jars! (I'll be sharing those recipes as I make them.)

There's nothing like fresh berries in a bowl with sugar for dessert, or freshly made jelly on toast with butter!