Blackberries

One of the blessings and curses of living on the Oregon Coast is the abundant supply of blackberries. For a good part of the year, blackberry vines know no boundaries and they appear anywhere and everywhere and must be cut back on a regular basis. Any parcel of land left unattended will soon be covered by an impassable sea of blackberry bushes. Abandoned vehicles, fences and tractors slowly disappear beneath the vines.

Mid-August, however, the berries begin to ripen and, on mornings like today, while the dew is still on the berries, I love to go out and pick a sweet treat to put on my cereal or over pancakes. Used for wonderful jams, jellies and syrup, blackberries become one of the great assets of this part of the country at this time of year.

The entire yard at my home, when I first returned to Oregon, was covered in blackberries waiting to be tamed. Annie's Cottage was surrounded by them before plans began to create a home for visitors to Oregon's Bay Area. Eventually, with much effort, paving stones replaced blackberry bushes and Annie's Cottage became an inviting place, but, those blackberry vines still poke their heads up just to see if they might be welcome again one day.