Wild Blackberries

Early spring I watched for signs of blackberry plants and made mental notes of where I saw them. Most of them were along a fence line. I've been going every few days to those spots and picking about a cup full of berries each time. The berries are pretty small but it adds up when I pick every day. I learned after the first time that I had to wear gloves because my hands got scratched up. I also worked out that the gloves needed to be fairly thin or I would smash the berries as I picked them.

Blackberries freeze very well without any special treatment. I usually rinse the berries and then put them in a plastic tub straight in the freezer. I've picked about 4 pounds this year. Our favorite way to eat them is still in an apple and blackberry crumble.

 **After I posted this, I learned that what I've been calling "wild blackberries" is actually called dewberries in this area.**