Berry Picking

I am unfortunately a week late in posting our Saturday adventure. Yesterday was very rainy, and we simply didn't adventure like we have been. But a week ago, I experienced some fun southern traditions- berry hunting and picking.

Now,  in Utah where I am from, we have lots of berries. And, my mother and grandmother are very gifted at making jams, etc. But, I have never had the experience of hunting for berries an picking them myself! Ken grew up with this berry tradition, but this was a whole new ball game for me!

The Berry picking crew- Christina and I are picking,

 Colby and Anya are using their weapons to try to ward off the treacherous invaders

Christina, Ken's cousin, and my new bestie, has been talking about berry picking since I met her (about 6 weeks ago). She claims that to find the Dewberries (I had honestly never heard of them until I moved here), you have to scout the blooms on the vine-like raspberry-esc plants, weeks before the fruit becomes ripe, so that you can find them again. Otherwise, these yummy little berries will be lost forever.

Dewberrys grow on the ground, like raspberries and are black looking, much like blackberries. The are sweet when ripe, and tart when they haven't yet matured. They are smaller than blackberries like raspberries, but taste more like a blackberry. They come with danger, though, because where these yummy berries grow, there also tend to lurk snakes...

We were undeterred, though, because like all adventures, you must be brave and courageous to find our treasure! We came equipped with poles, bats, golf clubs and other things to warn the potential vermin of our invading (and we didn't see a single snake). I did come out with lots of little thorns in my fingers and more than a dozen misquito bites. Alas! The things we do for yumminess.

The final result! Yummy!