It's Blackberry Time in Tennessee

I hope you and yours had a safe and happy Independence Day holiday!

Ours was quite enjoyable here at Chez Zen. Fireworks, house reorganization, blackberry picking, and a subsequent "jam session."

Yes, blackberries are turning ripe in our neck of the woods. I look like I've been in a fight with a wildcat and lost... all because I forgot my gloves and forgot to wear long sleeves. Plus, my fingers are full of "splinters" where little blackberry briars got caught in my skin.

Blackberries grow wild all around these parts. In any place that looks bushy, thorny, snake-y, brambly, and otherwise overgrown, there's a distinct possibility that there are blackberries growing nearby. The most likely places are in overgrown roadside/trailside places where there are not a lot of tall, shady trees. Look for low-growing scrub and plenty of sunlight. An area of good drainage also helps.

Before you take the plunge and decide to start picking berries, you might want to make sure that you have the property owner's permission first... especially if you open any gates, cross any fences, or see any "No Trespassing" signs. No need to go to jail over a bucket of blackberries when you can stop off the side of the road and pick some just as easily.

HOW TO PICK BLACKBERRIES:

1. Wear proper clothing. Yes, I know it's hot outside, but you're going to have to tough it out. Blackberry bushes are covered in thorns - small and large. Imagine a rosebush on steroids. The bushes are also located in the woods - where there are mosquitoes, ticks, chiggers, and snakes. In other words, shorts and flip-flops wouldn't be proper attire. I suggest wearing:

• Long, thick pants - jeans, overalls, coveralls, or "hunting britches." Something that will protect you from scratches and possibly bites.
  
• Heavy boots, preferably with high tops. Again, to protect against scratches and snakebites. Also good for stomping down underbrush so you can get to the blackberry bushes.
• Long sleeves. Can't you tell that I don't like getting scratched? Also to keep from getting mosquito/tick/chigger bites.
• Gloves. To keep the little thorns from embedding in your fingers and hands. Imagine a handful of splinters - that's what embedded blackberry thorns feel like.

Hey, you may end up looking like a Hee Haw refugee, but after a day of blackberry picking, you'll be scratch and bite free when everybody else is in misery. You'll thank me then.

PBBBLLLLTHHHH!

2. Douse yourself in bug spray. Seriously. MARINATE in it. Anything to keep the mosquitoes, ticks, chiggers, and other bugs off of you. Blackberry picking can be tedious work and it's only made worse if you are distracted by having to swat away bugs. Plus, no amount of blackberries are worth getting infected with something like West Nile Virus, Lyme Disease, encephalitis, Rocky Mountain Spotted Fever, Human Monocytic Ehrlichiosis, tularemia, or a host of other diseases.

3. Let somebody know where you're going, or go with a partner. Because blackberries often grow in thickets and are surrounded by brush, it can be really easy to step down into a hole and break an ankle. It can also be really easy to stir up a snake and get bit. We saw several huge fire ant mounds during our outings this past weekend. It would have been very easy to unknowingly step on a mound and been covered in fire ants. Know your surroundings and keep a constant lookout.

4. Keep hydrated and cool. It's blazing hot out there, so don't forget to take water with you, especially since you're wearing long pants and long sleeves. I wouldn't want to faint from heat exhaustion, only to fall right in the middle of a mess of blackberry briars.

5. Don't forget a big bucket! This should seem like a no-brainer, but there are people who go blackberry picking and forget to bring a bucket. Forget plastic bags, grocery sacks, or ziploc bags. They can (and will) get caught on a thorn and be ripped to shreds. All your hard blackberry picking work will be scattered in the underbrush. Bring a good sturdy bucket. A 5-gallon bucket, pail, or even a gallon ice cream bucket would work.

You can freeze your blackberries, can them whole, make blackberry jam or jelly, or even blackberry cobbler. Enjoy the harvest!