Berry Last Blast of the Season

"Let's go berry pickin' this morning," she said with a sense of urgency and a note of hopeful glee. 

I agreed.

Harvesting black berries
on the road to the old house on our back 40 parcel

September 3rd and the black berries are already past their prime. Many are withered, some have caught the mold, others are ripe enough to fall from the cane with the slightest of jiggles.

We agreed that the berries are fading fast, though it seems like we'd just begun getting some nice sweet and juicy berries. They come on quick and fade with equal ferocity. This season Sue has gathered enough black berries for 1 pie, 4 cobblers, 1 quart jar of preserves and 1 bowl of black berry jelly. 

We've had the pleasure to share the treasures of our fields with Sue's brother Tom and his wife Esther and our friends from Texas, Dave and Teri.

Final black berry harvest of the 2026 season,
we gathered about 4.5 quarts today.

***

Bonus Quiz: Which berry would you eat from this bowl and which berry is a poisonous snow berry?

Remember the wild foraging berry rule:

Blue always

Red sometimes

White never.

Be sure to separate your black berries from your white berries
or you will regret your cobbler

The last fresh black berry cobbler of the season will soon be served - but hurry, it won't last long!