Blackberries

I was sitting at my desk this morning at work and I realized that there has been something nagging me since last Summer. It is the basic fact that there are two types of people: people that know what little wild blackberries are and people who do not. This all started on July 2nd, 2007 when my wife, daughter, uncle Terry, and cousin Philip were walking down the road from our house heading towards an old logging road to pick blackberries. Now if you have ever lived in the Northwest you have probably seen a group similar to ours dressed in old clothes and boots armed with buckets and plastic milk cartons and typically exhibiting a state of euphoric glee. Now this description fits home schoolers and blackberry pickers, so make sure you get your groups straight (chances are they are both). This is a good time to note that my cousin Philip's milk carton looked as if a dog had chewed the opening at the top, while mine was gracefully cut with a hand sharpened Damascus steel blade forged high in the northern reaches of Japan by...you get the picture. Anyways, we were walking down the road and a neighbor of ours asked us what we were up to, and I responded that we were going to pick blackberries. My neighbor gave me a funny look and said "blackberries aren't ripe yet, [duh]." I smiled and went on to try and describe the difference between what we call little wild blackberries and the ubiquitous Himalayan blackberries that she was obviously referring to. I only received a blank stare in response.


The above scenario has happened more times than I can count. People too often have no idea that little wild blackberries (also called California, trailing, or Pacific blackberries) even exist. In my opinion these berries are culinarily far superior to their Himalayan brother due to their smaller seeds, tarter flavor, and smaller size (means less water and more intense flavor).


Newsflash:

There is more than one type of Blackberry in the Northwest.


California, Trailing, or Pacific Blackberry (Rubus ursinus):


Himalayan or Armenian Blackberry (Rubus discolor):