Lightweight Eats

We were up to our elbows in blackberries.

With the help of Dan's parents, we made it through about 10 pounds of blackberries in about as many hours, devouring berries with whipped cream for dessert and berries, nuts and yogurt for breakfast.

But berries weren't the only thing we got from those two hours. We also learned some lessons--some great, others not so great. 

1. You don't need tough skin--just tougher clothing. On our last trip blackberry picking, we were unprepared and wore short sleeves and thin pants. This round saw us in thick long sleeves and double layered pants, plus some serious shoes.

2. Go for low hanging fruit, both literally and figuratively. Maybe not such a great life lesson, but wonderful for blackberries. Literally, heavier fruits are juicier and also pull the branches down, so the branches with the greatest sag held the best berries. Figuratively, there were thousands of blackberries, and while it was tempting to reach through the brambles to pick every last one of them, it was often advantageous to simply move on to greener pastures.

3. If it's too squishy, eat it. In life, not all things are meant to last. Squishy berries fall into that catego ry. Fortunately the solution is easy--eat them immediately.

4. Start from the top. As you pluck the heavy, juicy fruits from the branches, the branches tend to migrate upwards. If you start at the top, this can create wonderful gaps that open onto new, equally delicious berries.