Filed under: Activities & Attractions, Entertaining Kids at Camp, Family Camping, Menu Planning & Cooking, Nature & Wildlife, Uncategorized

Wild for Blackberries in the Pacific Northwest!

At long last, the wild blackberries are ripe and ready for picking out here in Seattle.

I’ve long loved these plump shiny berries and every August have made a concerted effort to pick and freeze the berries for the winter months. Admittedly, it can be a downright prickly task gathering these berries from the thorny brambles, but the payoff can be decadently delicious in the cold winter months when I turn them into a crisp or a cobbler!  Last week I braved the brambles and gathered my first five pounds for the season. I transformed one pound into a simple blackberry syrup by heating the berries with sugar and a little water until the berries started to break up and thicken. The remaining four pounds went into the freezer.

Do you gather wild blackberries when you travel and camp throughout the Pacific Northwest? And, if you aren’t in blackberry territory, do you gather any other type of wild berry when you are out and about camping and hiking? Maybe salmonberries, cranberries, or even huckleberries? Do you have a favorite field guide for picking the berries in your region?

Photo by Melissa A. Trainer

–Melissa A. Trainer

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