Blackberry Season

Next week, I’m going up to my mom’s, and I want to go blackberry picking. Every summer, it’s something I looked forward to, as a girl. The hot weather, picking juicy blackberries (thornless), finding secret piles of yummy berries, and then baking pies.

Last summer was a travesty. Along with my mom, I took my kids, thinking that it would be a fun way to spend the afternoon. Mistake #1–not bringing sunscreen. It was so incredibly hot, we all got far too much sun. Mistake #2–not bringing water bottles. By the time we were finished, the kids were whiny, uncomfortable, and dying for water. Buying popsicles at the orchard store (aka frozen sugar) helped lift their spirits.

But my son startled me the most. He turned from a helpful, friendly boy into a crazed, raving, bawling child. Why? Because of the bugs. You expect to see gnats, bumblebees, and bugs around berry bushes. Apparently, he thought the insects were out to eat him. I remember him sobbing, “I just want them to all go away! They’re awful!” Oh, did he howl.

Next week, I’ll be better-prepared. We’ll each take a water-bottle, and I’ll hose the kids down with sunscreen. I’ll probably leave the baby home with his grandpa, and I’ve threatened to leave my older son as well (Bug Boy). He debated, saying, “Well, I could probably just use bug spray.” I think he somehow believes that bug spray is like a Jedi force field, zapping any wayward insects away. Um, no.

I’m still on the fence as to whether or not I take him with me. But my daughter? She’s a trooper, as you can see in the photo above. Each time she found a blackberry, she’d chirp, “I found one, Mom!” I have a feeling she’ll enjoy it just as much this year.

And then the real question becomes…blackberry pie or blackberry cobbler? I’m thinking both…

Did you ever go berry picking or fruit picking? What’s your favorite thing to pick?