Friday, August 08, 2008

Staycation Day 7

Well hello! I've been out picking blackberries all morning because I am avoiding work. I avoided work for two hours, and now I can avoid more by making this post! I think this is about 5 pounds of berries, I gotta start weighing 'em. You can't tell that this container is about 5 inches deep! I had to quit picking because I ran outa room.

One interesting fact about blackberries is that the color of the juice changes as they ripen. Earlier, tart berries are very red and stain your hands and clothes pretty well. Really ripe bursting berry juice is dark purple, more watery and doesn't stain as deeply. Today I got mostly really ripe ones so the stain factor was underwhelming.
Here, in this picture from last August, you can clearly see a purple handprint from really ripe berries, and a redder handprint from sour unripish ones. Thank you Mr Ratburn for modeling. To be honest, I prefer the more sour unripe berries for their drama, but you already know that!
The only reason I am allowing those meats in my freezer in the bottom left hand corner is because I went grocery shopping for a change. Mr Ratburn is going to be eating that meat when he gets back from Florida. To heck with frozen foods like ice cream, ice cubes and meats, this is my blackberry stash freezer and I want all o' you meats outa here by the end of the weekend, ya hear?
Oh yeah, and don't think I don't see those other frozen weird god knows what's that Little Rita has stuffed in there underneath the berries. They are outa here too!
Today I have to get my hedge clippers sharpened so that I can go bushwacking again tonight. If I ain't back by sundown, send in the search party.
Have a lovely weekend!


11 comments:

Anonymous said...

mmmmm so yummy. And I just enjoyed some blackberry jam.

xoxoxo mina

Mona said...

I have never tasted blackberries, although I am sure YOU have tasted chapattis!

well if you haven't, they are 'rolling' on my blog! :D

Great pictures Susie Ji!

barman said...

Wow the blackberries look yummy but ... I think you may have a problem. The freezer and kicking everything else out ... I know the berries are real healthy but ...

Bushwhacking ... have you seen my property. Now I am right in the city but I kind of let my weeds go and did not trim around a few things. I will be doing some bushwhacking myself. Who knows, when I am done maybe I can get some shrubs.

Glad you had a great staycation.

lime said...

mmmmmm, blackberries. sooooooo yummy. what a bounty you have there!

S said...

Oh Mina I love blackberry jam. So much work to make....
Be right over for chapati lessons, Monaji.
Yes Missy these are all wild too, but acres and acres of em out in the flood plain, horse pasture and orchard!

Yes Lime, get over here and pick some andcamp in the yurt!

Now Bryan,
Blackberries are SO more important than ice and meat! I will list reasons:
They are one of the highest antioxidant foods on the planet.
They are yummy
They make great dye and paint and ya know jungle fun!
In my case, they are free and abundant.
Loaded with vitamins and stuff.
Meditative to pick even though a little painful.
Now meat, eh!
Ice melts.
So there you have it, berries much more important.
Hey how come I never knew you were single?
Tilts head sideways closes one eye and squints...hmnnn....perhaps we gotta fix you up :P

~Tim said...

May I have some with whipped cream?

barman said...

Fix me up... oh no. You can try but from what I can see all the good ones are taken.

I see what you are saying about the benefits of blackberries although I am more into blueberries which are almost as good. I just am not a seed kind of person. Of course free is free and that would certainly peek my interest.

So your staycation must just about be over (unless the 89 days I saw you say somewhere was correct...). I hope you enjoyed your time on your own. It sure looks like you did. I hope you have a nice reunion like Lime did. :)

G-Man said...

Berry Nice...xox

Maddy said...

Visiting from Lime - do you mean by 'staycation' that you listen to the Woman's Hour programme too!

Very productive all round.
Cheers

Breazy said...

mmmmmm I love blackberries and I have so many memories of picking them with various family members who have passed away. Thank you Susie for bringing those memories back to light for me!

Logophile said...

ok, um, so you are back right?

Because not only is it sundown, the whole weekend past.