Right time to pick blackberries????

Ahne Homestead · #1 07/03/05, 04:43 PM

Yesterday one of my relatives came over to pick blackberries and told me the berries sugar content varies through out the day. He thought they were the sweetest early in the morning, after the sun had been on them for a while. Has any one heard of this??? and is it true??? Carl

Tater'sPa · #2 07/03/05, 05:04 PM

I've never heard that but have always picked in the morning because it was a bit cooler.
Looks like we have a bumper crop this year in our area

Rick · #3 07/03/05, 09:52 PM

There were just enough ripe ones for the birds to start shaing them with us when we had to leave the homestead.

computerchick · #4 07/03/05, 10:50 PM

Hi Rick!

Nice to see another WV - we're in Eastern Panhandle.

Blackberries and raspberries are looking good up on our side of North Mountain. My poor legs though - look like I've been walking through razor wire.

Now who has recipes???

Andrea
Shanghai Shaggies Fainters
and the Cochins IN Shanghai
(WV that is!)

kesoaps · #5 07/04/05, 01:18 AM

Your blackberries are ripe already??? Mine are just blossoms, won't be ready for 6 weeks (always during the fair....always! And I'm not here to pick them.)

MaineFarmMom · #6 07/04/05, 07:21 AM

The earlier in the morning you pick them the better. The sugar content will be higher because it hasn't been used for growth yet. This is true of plants in general.

Sharon in NY · #7 07/04/05, 07:31 AM

Plus, if you pick in the morning there's an off chance the bugs won't eat you alive.

Sharon

BJ · #8 07/04/05, 01:28 PM

Mmmmmmmm sounds good. We have had our farm for 4 years and there are two large blackberry thickets. Unfortunately we have never had any blackberries. We are convinced that someone trespasses and picks all the berries just when they are plump and ripe! We know that the deer and birds don't get them all in one day...and that is what usually happens! We have nice neighbors....but the areas of our 40 acre farm we can't see....I think they help themselves to our berries and mushrooms! So...we've planted some berries in our garden where we can keep close watch on them. Warm blackberry cobbler with a scoop of vanilla ice cream...now that's what I'm dreaming of having someday

Mawna · #9 07/04/05, 01:38 PM

OH GOSH! Stealing "drylandfish"!! (morels) Now if that was to happen here and that person was caught, there'd be a hangin' for sure! You DON'T get in other folks morel patches nor their ginseng patches up here. gheeze unless you might be suicidal and looking to die.

We got blackberries ever where this year. And wild grapes. But I never have beat what ever loves those grapes so much to the vines yet! grrrr. The elderberries are just getting past the flowering stage now. I've already got me a huge ol bush staked out.

Ahne Homestead · #10 07/04/05, 03:42 PM

Thanks MaineFarmMom I'll continue picking them early in the morning.
Kesoaps I've had about a pies worth of blackberries each day for about five days now. This morning about a gallon. The wife was upset with me for picking them. Her vans air conditioner wasn't working and she'd rather I work on it instead. I figured it was either something big or something easy to fix. Thankfully it was something easy to fix. It seems I always have something that needs fixing but the blackberries are on their own time table. You either pick them when they are ready or not at all. Carl

PezzoNovante · #11 07/04/05, 03:52 PM

Blackberries are late this year in SE Oklahoma. We visited the usual sites Saturday and they were either still green or not sweet enough.

Typically its fireworks and jam over the fourth, but not this year.

Last year wasn't very good either.

MarleneS · #12 07/04/05, 07:15 PM

CliffHouse Restaurant BlackBerry Cobbler Recipe

Melt 1 stick of butter in a baking pan (9" square), stir together 1 cup of self rising flour, 1 cup of sugar, 1 cup of milk - pour into melted butter (do not stir) add 2 cups of blackberries, 1 cup of water and extra sugar if your berries are not sweet enough, remember - do not mix together. Bake in 375 degree oven until top is golden brown.(about 35 minutes) Enjoy

Marlene

Rick · #13 07/04/05, 09:56 PM

Pleased to meet you, Andrea.

There's a couple of folks from WV on here.

We couldn't believe how many thickets of berries we saw as we walked the paths the timber dozer made.

Be Well,

Rick

Quote:

Originally Posted by computerchick

Hi Rick!

Nice to see another WV - we're in Eastern Panhandle.

Blackberries and raspberries are looking good up on our side of North Mountain. My poor legs though - look like I've been walking through razor wire.

Now who has recipes???

Andrea
Shanghai Shaggies Fainters
and the Cochins IN Shanghai
(WV that is!)

Shepherd · #14 07/04/05, 11:24 PM

Oh YUM, thank you for the recipe, Marlene! Sure looks easy. Is it good?

Our black raspberries are ready and have been for a couple weeks now... I haven't been able to be as diligent as I usually am, due to other priorities. Our blackberries aren't quite ready yet, but will be before long. Our gooseberries are ripening now too.

I wish we had some elderberries. I dont even know what they look like... but when I've asked the locals, they don't seem to know either.

Mike in Ohio · #15 07/05/05, 07:47 PM

We pick em in the morning and pick em in the evening. If it's a cool day wee'll pick em in the middle of the day. We sort them out. The nice big ones we freeze for winter eating (just pour some into a bowl). We use the regular ones for making pies. The rest we use for wine or jam. We get so many in such a short time span that we picke whenever we can.

Mike

trappmountain · #16 07/05/05, 09:36 PM

I've also heard that. We have some good ones already where the sun hits them better. I got about a handful of ripe ones today while out walking the dogs. Of course I ate them before I got back to the house. Most of them aren't even close yet. But I had a great breakfast on the go!!!!