Purple stained hands and lips are common around our house this time of year. There are tons of wild Blackberries growing around our house and we take full advantage of their bounty each summer.
When we can refrain from gobbling them all up-I like to make Blackberry Jelly-in my opinion the best of all jellies.
Granny use to make jelly the old time way, by using just sugar and juice. I go the easier route and use the Sure Jell box recipe.
Mother Nature seems to be making up for last year’s late killing frost by producing a bumper crop of Blackberries this summer. I made 4 runs of jelly from about an hours worth of berry picking.
More than enough to share! These jars are waiting to be delivered to Granny and Pap.
Appalachian Blackberry Folklore from The Foxfire Book:
~To relive Diarrhea drink some Blackberry juice
~To aid in stomach trouble drink some Blackberry juice or wine
~To relive Dysentery drink some Blackberry juice
~It will be a bad winter if Blackberry blooms are especially heavy. (if this one is right-I better buy some new sleds for Chatter and Chitter)
Hope you enjoyed your visit- picking Blackberries in Appalachia. Now you know Blackberry is my favorite jelly-what’s yours?
Tipper
p.s. Pappy has asked me to list 7 songs I’m really enjoying at the moment.
- Down the Escalante by Paul Wilson (I’ll never get tired of hearing this masterpiece)
- Two Baby Blue Eyes by The Nashville Bluegrass Band (Alan O’Bryant once told Chatter and Chitter they were cute as bugs)
- Wagon Wheel by Old Crow Medicine Show (they have unbelievable energy on stage)
- Misery and Gin by Merle Haggard (A recent post of Pappy’s is responsible for this one)
- Memphis by Johnny Rivers (awesome video on Youtube provided by WeldonWho2)
- I Believe by Matchbox Twenty (Chatter and Chitter’s most recent clogging song)
- Danny Boy by Paul and Pap Wilson (one of the best songs ever written)
If you feel inspired-list 7 of the songs you are into at the moment.
Where can you buy good old blackberry juice to have onhand?
Tipper,
We have such an abundance here at this house we too are taking full advantage of the berries! I have froze a ton and have made 3 batches of blackberry jam. The kids will love it this winter!!
Love blackberries! Since my dad grew up in Appalachia with all those wild blackberries, he was determined to have them, no matter where he lived. So, growing up with him in the hot desert of Arizona, he grew blackberries where they shouldn’t grow.
I still remember hauling hoses to irrigate those berries, getting up at the crack of dawn, with the long gloves and metal buckets, and picking berries. I think I was permanently scratched throughout childhood from our huge blackberry patch. Very fond memories – the blackberry will never be replaced in my heart. 🙂
These are wonderful photos. Sure is amazing what little ol’ blackberries can do.
Oh, Tipper, do you have your granny’s old recipe for making it without sure jell? I need something like that.
It’s kinda funny, but I came in to read a few blogs after showering after having spent hours blackberry picking. I must’ve come up on a buck b/c I could hear him blowing as he ran through the woods. I promised my neighbor to give her some blackberries in exchange for the apples she gave us yesterday. Aren’t they BIG this year!
Teresa
So, my mouth is watering as I look at the pictures of the Blackberries. Now, I do have to admit, I love the flavor, but not so much the seeds. I wish there was a seedless variety. I know, I know, I don’t make much sense. That may be the reason some people like them. I sure do love pear preserves though and my mother in law made a whole bunch last year and once again my mouth is watering just thinking about it. By the way have you gone over to Dana’s blog to post your entry for her new quilt?? I thought I remember finding you through her blog. Just thought I would let you know if you haven’t been to her site lately! 🙂 Beautiful music by the way. Paul is great!
Glad to be back home and to be able to check in on blog friends! I like the music selection here today a lot!
It’s really neat to see pics of the whole berry process, from plants to canning. Thanks for posting that, especially the pics. They’re so intensely RED in the pot! Anyhow – thanks for the pics!
I like Down the Escalante a whole lot too.
Blackberries have always been my favorite. We used to pick them growing up but most of them never made it back up the hill to the house. The ones that did though became blackberry cobbler with a bit of homemade vanilla ice cream. Was that heaven or what?
We love blackberries around here. I even had a black Lab who used to pick them off with his teeth and eat them. And he never “picked” the unripe ones–just the perfect, super ripe kind.
I haven’t had homemade blackberry jam since my grandmother passed years ago. Blackberry and Raspberry are my favorite. I have read every one of those Foxfire books. LOL
PS. I entered you into my Get Moving contest.
yummmm! MY absolute favorite is raspberry, but blackberry is a very close second! We grew up picking them wild near our home – and my dad would make the jam or jelly.
I love blackberry jam too. We used to pick blackberries every summer for cobbler, but I don’t live near any patches anymore. I guess I’ll have to find some. 🙂
Oh my all time favorite is huckleberry jam. I can actually smell that blackberry jam while looking at your photo of it cooking. Nothing smells better than jam cooking. Yum!
Looks tasty….nice post!
Tipper I absolutely love, love, love blackberry cobbler. When my dad was alive he always had thornless blackberries in his garden and mother made lots of jelly. She also froze a lot and I got to have cobbler whenever I went to see them. Thank you for the memory. Blessings, marlene
Tipper I absolutley love, love, love blackberry cobbler. When my dad was alive he always had thornless blackberries in his garden and mother made lots of jelly. She also froze a lot so every time I went to see them I got to have cobbler. Thanks for the memory. Blessings, marlene
Tipper: I must admit that blackberries are my favorite berry. If I’m able to pick some I would take a bowl of blackberries with milk and a little sugar and just enjoy myself. It was way better then cereal. I love blackberry jelly and always have some (store bought) in the fridge for use with toast. You are making me hungry with the photos.
Great choices Tipper. Thanks for playing. I am familiar with most of them. Yum, yum. Now we are really getting down to the part of this post I like best and that is the Blackberry Jelly. I like a big gob on a Cathead biscuit with some cowsalve butter, a piece of thick sliced bacon and a hot cup of black coffee. Pappy
Oh, I can hardly wait. Our blackberries aren’t ready yet since we’ve had such a late start on summer. Soon, real soon. I can almost smell yours cooking away…
My favorite jam has to be strawberry/rhubarb. Grandma’s was so good!
Now, that jam looks real good! I love to make jam and jelly, blackberry jam made from wild blackberries is Mr Larry’s favorite in the world. My favorite is whatever I’m making now, but in the winter when there is nothing in season I usually choose Grape from my shelf .
In addition to the remedies you listed I always heard that to relieve constipation eat the canned blackberries!
Thanks for sharing those wonderful pictures.
Hey Tipper,
We are picking lots of Blackberries in KY too! And, we also had TONS of Blackberry blossoms.
I remember going to my sister’s trailer and they had lots of blackberry and huckleberry bushes. We ate until we thought we’d burst! Ah, those were the days. Loved seeing that pot of yours just bubbling with goodness.
7 songs I’m into right now:
1. Down the Escalante by Paul Wilson. Yes, like you I can’t get enough of this one.
2. What Am I Doing Hangin’ Round by Mike Nesmith. This link on YouTube plays the video:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1JAELBIX5vc&feature=related
3. Fernando by Abba
4. Thank God I’m a Country Boy by John Denver
5. Book of Love by Peter Gabriel
6. Don’t Dream It’s Over by Crowded House
7. Don’t Fear The Reaper by Blue Oyster Cult
Looks delicious! I’m gonna have to get me some blackberry jelly. You have put a craving on me.
You should know strawberry is my favorite. haha
Those berries look wonderful! My MT daughter just replenished my homemade blackberry, strawberry and strawberry/rhubarb jam. Heck, think I will go fix a piece of toast right now.
Your jelly looks great. I’m supposed to make some tomorrow night when I get home. I hope mine turns out as pretty as yours.
How chigger bites did you get picking those beautiful berries? Nothing better than blackberry jam/jelly and blackberry cobbler with ice cream.
Hello Tipper! Can just taste the homemade jam on a slice of buttered 7-grain bread. It’s making me hungry. Actually, it is feeding time. The chicken is roasting, while I am in fact, listening to music. I have to say that I enjoy so much it’s hard to come up with 7, but I’ll try. Let’s see:
Iris Dement’s “Let the Mystery Be”
Enya’s “Tea House Moon”
Emylou Harris’rendition of Lucinda Williams’ “Sweet Ole World”
Lucinda Williams’ “Little Angel, Little Brother”
Alison Krauss’ “Deeper Than Crying”
Enya’s “Flora’s Secret”
and the list goes on and on.
Thank you for your warm hospitality! Petra
p.s. Congratulations on your winning the Arte y Pico award. When I visited Dina’s blog, I noticed you were one of the recipients. From the short time I’ve come to know you through this blog, I have to agree with her comments completely!
OH. YUM. we go picking in the next week or two. I think blackberry ANYTHING is my favorite…warm cobbler…mmm
Oh how beautiful that jelly looks! I bet you can’t wait until your morning toast!
Terrific pictures. I can ALMOST taste it! My favorite is raspberry, but I think I could change my tune for some of what is shown in the pictures.
My son is currently serving a mission for our church and he is serving in Tennessee. He talked about eating wild berries. WOW! It was nice to see pics of the beautiful berries! Out here in Southern Nevada we have alot of pomegranate trees. Therefore, we make ALOT of pomegranate jelly. Yummy, it’s my favorite.
Hmmmmmmmmm … I’m pretty sure BLACKBERRY is my favorite. 🙂 By the way, “Down the Escalante” IS DEFINITELY one of my favorites. Thank God Paul was re-inspired.