Ten Lessons I Learned from Picking Blackberries

My neighbors have a corner of their otherwise well-mantained yard that they allow to grow wild with blackberries. For the past month I've gone out every few days and collected the berries that hang over our fence. Below is a list of things to think about when you encounter a blackberry bramble. They're ripening on vines all over Renton right now, so make sure to pluck a few before they're gone.

1. Don't let thorny vines overtake your space. Flower beds and gardens should get first dibs on fertile soil and nature trails and walkways should remain bramble-free. Those prickly creepers are relentless so be brutal if you must. Put on thick handyman gloves and yank the trespassers out by the roots. Do the earth a favor and don't use chemicals though. That's cheating.

2. Give some thorny vines space to grow, though. Healthy vegetation is a good thing. Well-pruned vines will behave when given the space to thrive.

3. Don't pick the flowers. When they begin to die you know that something sweeter is on its way.

4. Visit and revisit. Notice which berries will be ripe soon and make it a point to return.

5. Know when to pick your fruit. Never pick a green one – it needs a chance to grow. It won't give up its stem easily anyway, so just leave it alone. A pinkish one will make you pucker it's so sour – give it a few more days to mature. Dark purple ones with pink spots are still too sour. A day or two more will do.  The perfect one takes just a tiny tug to let go of its stem. It is deep dark purple, nearly black, and keeps its shape until you press it to the roof of your mouth with your tongue, releasing its just-right blackberry juices. The one that falls to mush in your hand at the slightest touch is too far gone. Give that one back to the ground.

6. You will get messy. Your fingers will get stained and if you're not careful, so will your clothes. When smiling at passersby, know that you might have blackberry skins and seeds in your teeth, in case they look at you funny.

7. Watch out for the thorns. The little thorns are vicious, often working together to poke the tips of your fingers when you try to pull off a blackberry that's not ready to let go. Oftentimes though, it's reaching for that one big out-of-the-way one that will get you. It's as if the whole bush is trying to teach you a lesson not to be so greedy. It will hook one sturdy thorn into your skin and scratch you down the forearm as you pull away as if to say, "Serves you right!"

8. Don't be afraid of spiders. They're eating the bugs who want to eat your blackberries. Don't rip down their webs or scream at the sight of them or squish them. Instead, thank them for helping you and leave them be.

9. There's enough for everyone. Don't hoard the harvest. Leave some for those who come after you, not just the human ones but the whiskered ones and the feathered ones and the creepy crawlers too.

10. Save some for later. Eating a bucketful in one day is not advisable. Spread them out on a baking sheet and freeze them, then store them in a ziploc bag and use them for months to come in pancakes, muffins, or as icy little snacks. Make pies and jam and bring them out at Thanksgiving and Christmastime. They will remind you of your summer and the time you pruned and grew and watched and visited and picked blackberries and they stained and pricked your fingers and you saw spiders and left some for others and then saved some for this special day.