On Saturday, my husband and I packed up our little entourage and rode our bikes down to our favorite blackberry spot. The berries are just starting to get into gear, changing from green to black.
We weren’t too impressed with the last two years where the berries were small and hard to reach. This year is a good crop though. Huge, sweet blackberries are just dripping off the vines, begging to be picked. By this weekend, the bushes should be loaded.
The best part? In the great Northwest, where blackberries grow like weeds, picking is absolutely free! Find a safe, easily accessible public place and go crazy.
Blackberries definitely make you work harder than any of the other berries, and we have the scratches to prove it. Wearing long sleeves and using a big stick help (you could even use pruning shears if the berries are on your land). The work is worth it, though, because the payoff is sweet. What a great way to load your freezer with free fruit.
Yesterday, my sister and I made these fresh fruit tarts from The Grand Central Baking Book (Amazon)
Leave a comment! What is your favorite way to use those gorgeous NW blackberries? (include recipe links, if available!)
Homemade Blackberry Pie Recipe
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My dad has a huge amount of blackberries at the back of his property. He trims them really nicely, so it’s easy to get right up to them. I’ve been picking berries every few days. I’ve made a ton of freezer jam and am freezing lots of berries to use later for cobblers, smoothies, etc. I do this every year and I always end of using them all up during the year. They all freeze well.
We went blackberry picking yesterday (for the first time since we moved here) We’ve lived here a little over a year and are still learning all the new things that the NW has to offer. My kids (3 and 4) were eating just as fast as my husband and I were picking! 🙂 We still went home with a pretty good size bowl of them – and made smoothies last night (with the blackberries we picked and the blueberries we got for a good price at Safeway last week)
One question I have though…. we noticed other trees by the blackberry bushes that looked just like Pears!? Do pears grow “wild” here too? When are pears ripe? How exciting! I’m lovin’ the NW!!!
You’ll probably find pear, plum, apple and cherry trees abound in the NW. We lived in our house for 3 years before we noticed the tree over the driveway was a cherry! Depending on where you live it’s probably possible that it was once a farmer’s field or homestead and not all the trees were cut down.
It’s not fruit for free, but for a small permit fee you can also go onto forest service land and dig up plants! Hydrangeas grow in the wild as do some really nice ferns for landscaping!
Melanie, can you share more information about how to get that forest service pass? I am interested in getting some hydrangeas! Thanks!
I make blackberry jam. I just love blackberries and can’t wait till summer. I use the recipe that’s provided in the box of pectin. It isn’t too sweet – just right. 🙂
I went blackberry picking today!! We picked a ton – going to be made into freezer jam soon!! YUM!! That’s one of my favorite things about the NW – free blackberries! Down here in Eugene, we’re practically over run by them in certain parts of the city!! My parents are near Salem, and actually had to burn their bushes down a few years ago – when they were threatening to take over the house!!! 🙂
Would you mind sharing your freezer jam recipe? We have a farmer’s berries growing over the fence into our field so we might as well put them to use!
I’m just curious if any of you could tell me where we might pick in Eugene, that the city wouldn’t spray. We just moved here, and see blackberries on the side of the road, but would rather pick in a park. Any thoughts?
I’ve been picking for 10+ years and here are a few things.
1) Best places to pick are a farmer’s land hit by irrigation water (with permission) or a swampy (wetland) area, like a nature preserve.
2) Blackberries don’t freeze well, unlike blueberries or strawberries. I’ve had the best luck freezing them to make cobbler and I do this cobbler “mix” (from Betty Crocker cookbook) before freezing and add the bread topping in the winter. Here’s the recipe.
4 c berries
1 T corn starch
1/4 c water
1/3 c sugar
Cook on medium until thickened, 15-20 minutes. Can be multiplied. (I just measure the berries and then do the math on the rest of the recipe. I’ve cooked up to 20 c of berries at once.)
I love that the blackberries are so abundant as well! Depending on where you live, you might want to enjoy it while you can. Here in Multnomah county, blackberries have been declared a weed, so the county is going to start pulling out all of the bushes 🙁
I’m lucky, our neighbor behind us doesn’t really keep up with his yard so it is LOADED with blackberries and we just let them climb over the fence so we can control how much we want on our side, the kids love to just play outside and eat them as they play! I usually mix them in with vanilla yogurt or make milkshakes! I would LOVE your recipe for the tarts!!!
I have a park right down the street that is lined with blackberry bushes! My daughter plays at the park and I pick berries! Love this time of year!
I usually am able to get huge bowls full and freeze them to have enough to last until next summer too!
Samantha
I just picked some berries yesterday; they are ohhh so yummy! 🙂 I made jam and a cobbler with them, although I could have just eaten them by themselves! Hopefully more will be ready soon; I can’t wait to freeze them, eat them and figure out what else to make with them.
I just picked some today and will be getting more soon. But I am looking for a great cobbler recipe and wanted to make jam too! How great that you have just done that. Can you pass on your recipe? I would really appreciate it 🙂