Yesterday I had a craving for fruit. We had plenty in the freezer, but I wanted some fresh fruit and I wanted it bad. Then I realized the blackberries were probably ripe. It inspired me to put Bracken in the pack and head up with the dogs behind our house. We enjoyed a few red huckleberries we spotted on the way up.
The blue/purple ones weren’t ripe yet. I will be sure to keep my eye on them…
Along the path in the woods, I spotted some bright orange lobster mushrooms. I set them on this log so I didn’t have to carry them while picking blackberries. We picked them up again on the way back down.
Picking blueberries with a baby in the pack is great. Picking blackberries with a baby in the pack is quite another story. The trail was overgrown so I had to cut my way through blackberries to get to the picking spot. Bracken kept trying to grab the thorny branches, so I had to maneuver quickly to pick a berry and pull away again before he could grab something poky. Then he fell asleep in the pack and that made picking much easier.
We came home to surprise Jeff with the bounty. We feasted on fresh picked blackberries, still warm from the sun. Jeff sauteed the mushrooms with our breakfast scramble this morning.
While we sliced brightly colored beets to experiment with a new recipe (beet chips), I was so moved by this scene. The sight of beautiful food makes me really happy. And eating it is even better.
It’s so fun to hear from all of you.
@Aja- Thanks for the recipe, it sounds delicious.
@Akaliene- We sliced them in rounds, very thinly. Then fried them in lard. You can also bake them in the oven, but our oven wasn’t working. The recipe came from The Primal Blueprint Cookbook. They are yummy!
Look at those beautiful mushrooms. I too have been blackberry picking with my 11 month old on my back…I know exactly what you mean by the quick pick & dodge!
Oh yum! And do tell how the beets chips turn out. I made a lebanese beet salad the other day from a cook book I love. It was so so good, I have to share: steam 4 big beets until tender, peel and cut in quarters. In a mortar and pestle (or bowl) smash two cloves garlic and mix in 2 cups yogurt and 2 tablespoons tahini. Pour the mixture over the beets in a bowl and garnish with LOTS of fresh mint. It was so delicious and I felt like there was yogurt sauce to spare, which has been delicious on just about everything!
I loved this blog about bluberries, blackberries, the baby, & beets. Can you tell me how Jeff made beet chips? I need beet recipes, please.
Yum! Our blackberries are almost all green still, but I think I might have to start taking some mushroom walks, those lobsters have me drooling!
A beautiful bounty.
Gosh, I love sweet blackberries picked and eaten straight from the bush. Lovely.xxx
How totally cool and gratifying to walk out your door and return with wild blackberries and mushrooms! That’s what life SHOULD be!!
Beautiful food…
Looks delicious! I love those backpacks for picking fruits. And what a bonus when they fall asleep in there.