The blackberries are ripe throughout the woods and on Sunday we went picking.
It’s scratchy business, the bushes are thorny and stinging nettles grow everywhere.
But so rewarding (sorry for the crappy picture, my camera functions were off and I didn’t notice til afterwards).
I’m planning to make blackberry syrup this year because we’ve still got jam from last year’s blackberries (we only got around to making it in spring). But we need to go picking at least once more.
The elderberries too are ripe but I’m not going to pick any since I still have a bottle of syrup from last year and it’s too rich to eat pure anyway, so it will last a long time still.
The berries are all ripe much earlier than in the years before and there are lots and lots. The cool, wet summer seems to have been good for them.
I’m typing this up all in a hurry before work. I usually have two evenings a week to myself to blog and go through my reader, but since we started apartment hunting these evenings are now filled with looking at apartments. This evening we’ll be looking at another one.
I’ve more tops and stuff to post and blogs to read, I’ve yarn I’m dying to start on and another dress cut out and waiting to be sewn up. I’m putting all my hopes on saturday 🙂
little home by hand
little home by hand 
I love this post! One of my favorite childhood memories is of blackberry picking the wild vines that grew in a tangle behind our garden. I would eat as many as I possibly could, and stuff the rest in my pockets, much to my mom’s dismay 🙂 They are still one of my favorite treats.
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Blackberry syrup! Yum. I don’t think that elderberries grow around here, and I am a wee bit envious of yours. I made a syrup from dried berries last winter that I loved – it was so delicious! Our blackberries will be ready to pick in a week or two, and I can’t wait!
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Thanks you two 🙂
Victoria, what beautiful memories!
Sherrie, I’ve heard before that elderberry bushes or trees aren’t very common in the US or Canada. I wonder why that is, your climate is not that different, though maybe they wouldn’t stand the cold in winter. Over here elderberry trees are everywhere and all full to the brim with ripe berries, I could pick tons and tons. Nobody else picks them I’m sure. There’s not that many people going foraging in the woods anymore when you can buy everything in a store. They’re missing out on a lot of fun 😉
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oh these pictures are gorgeous! i remember going blackberry picking when i was little, it was such a fun adventure! thanks for the reminder 🙂
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