BLACKBERRY ALERT!

OK women, it is killing me to see all these great blackberries around us going to waste. Did you know we have tons of wild blackberries around us? Last year I picked blackberries and made homemade jam. All year long, I felt strength from those berries. I know this sounds corny, but each time I ate the blackberry jam, I felt a strong connection with the strength of the earth and the good soil of our Cub Run Creek and Sully Station area. We are blessed to live in such a beautiful and well-preserved nature area. Have you been out on the trails between Virginia Run and Sully Station, Cub Run Creek trails and the Walney Park trails? They are all amazing. We are so fortunate! Our soil and water and earth here are incredible and we can bring that strength into the bodies of our children and we aren’t doing it. The blackberries are withering up and dying! It is killing me.

I am going to meet at the dog park off Old Lee Rd on the way to Westfield HS on Sat morning at 7:30 am to pick blackberries and I’d love you have as many people there to join me as possible. Feel free to bring your children if you’d like to, but know that these blackberries are not an easy picking. There are serious thorns and we need to have a well developed plan for how to approach this systematically to get to all the blackberries in the middle. Does anyone have any experience with this? I’ve just been picking and eating the ones on the outside of the brier patch. I don’t know how to get to the middle ones.

Thorns are an issue so wear good shoes or even boots, tuck your long pants into your shoes and wear a long sleeve shirt (White is best so it is easier to spot ticks on you.) Have your hair pulled back and in a hat or ponytail. Ticks are a concern so I will be bringing some natural tick repellent that I made from eucalyptus and tea tree essential oils. I’d bring gardening gloves and last time I was out I brought the security stick that I put in my sliding glass door and that was helpful to move around the branches with the thorns on them. You’ll also want bucket or basket, something with a handle to put your berries in.

I have some Certo pectin for jam and some plastic freezer jars to pass out till I run out.  I’ll print out the recipe and even give a demonstration of how to make the simple jam for you and your family if you are interested. Tell all your friends. We need the benefits of these berries in the bodies of our families.

Thanks to Heather Wier who just told me that blackberries are known for lowering blood sugar and have the highest anti-oxidants of all fruits. They are great in cobblers and pies and are delicious plain or with come cream too.  I hope to see you on Sat.