This year the blackberries were wildly abundant. I went out every day for a week and picked as much as I could carry, and left even more behind. I could afford to be selective in taking only the biggest and fattest. Over that week, I managed to take about 5 gallons, and still there are more. But it requires wearing some protective clothing to ward off bugs and poison ivy, so after getting the best from the season’s crop, I got tired of it and quit.
The sand plums were also abundant this year. I’ve been picking them steadily for two weeks. They have finally begun to taper off just a bit in the two patches I can reach. Total take was not more than a couple of gallons, if that. There is another patch, but it’s in the woods where the deer ticks have been ubiquitous, numerous and voracious. So I was picking the berries and plums in areas where the ticks didn’t seem to be too bad.
Yesterday one embedded almost in my armpit after just a half-hour of picking. This one went through the bug spray on my long sleeved shirt, and on my neck and arms, and still managed to take a bite. Mosquitoes are already pretty bad.
Picking season is over.
I’ll wait to see if I can find any persimmons this fall. The summer crop apple tree out back was hit by a late freeze after it blossomed, so we have precious few apples staying on the tree long enough to mature.
But we do have some frozen blackberries, some jam, and some plum jelly. God is good.
