HARVESTING BLACKBERRIES – AUGUST IS ABOUT THAT TIME
By Melissa Wynn
When to Harvest Blackberries
Late August means harvesting blackberries in the mountains is on, as bushes are once again heavy laden with bubbly, juicy fruit. Picking before the rains come is what you want to do. A pail and a desire to wander through the woods is all you need for harvesting blackberries in the mountains of Northern California.
Blackberry bushes are full of thorns, so long pants and sturdy closed-toe shoes are a wise wardrobe choice for this activity families have shared for as long as humans have inhabited the Sierra. Blackberries are a mouthwatering treat straight off the vine but they do stain everything they touch purple, so also wear clothes that you won’t mind splotching with berry juice and protect counters, etc.. Labor Day weekend is a traditional harvesting blackberries get together for many. I can hardly wait. We prefer to do our picking in Seneca just six miles from Lake Almanor’s West Shore PG&E Beach. But this neck of the woods also holds a bounty of great spots for harvesting blackberries.
From Oroville to Quincy, Hwy 70 is spotted with berry patches all along the way. I have found the plumpest , sweetest and biggest berries grow along the water’s edge. This spectacular drive through Feather River Canyon has many turn outs near the water. Patch hopping is fun until you find a favorite.
A turn just before Quincy, up Hwy 89, leads to more blackberry heaven near Lake Almanor or around Butt Lake. The drive just gets more beautiful and offers several more prime picking spots along the Feather River. You can also take a little detour at Taylorsville and hunt along Indian Creek as well. If your final destination lies beyond Quincy further up Hwy 70, fret not, for the waterways along this route are lined with berry patches as well. Whether you roam toward Portola and Beckwourth or down into Sierra County, fat juicy blackberries await. You can make jam or freeze blackberries for future use. See #5 on how to freeze them.
Come on up and join us in one of our special annual traditions courtesy of nature. All blackberries in national forests and on all other public lands are fair game unless otherwise posted. If you have a hard time choosing where to wander, stop, and one of the friendly Mountain Valley locals will be happy to point you toward a patch with this bit of picking advice…one for the pail, two for me!
US FOREST SERVICE TIPS & RULES
CHECK OUT THE FOLLOWING GREAT RECIPES FOR YOUR HARVESTED BLACKBERRIES:
BLACKBERRY COBBLER EASY!!
Makes approximately 10 servings
1/2 cup real butter
2 1/4 cups self rising flour
2 cups white sugar
2 cups milk
3 1/2 cups ripe blackberries
• Preheat oven to 350 degrees F. When oven gets hot, melt butter in a 9×13 inch baking pan.
2. In a medium size bowl, stir together flour, sugar and milk. Batter will be slightly lumpy. Evenly pour mixture over the top of melted butter in baking pan. Do not mix butter and mixture together.
3. Drop blackberries into batter. Bake 50 minutes to one hour or until golden brown.
BLACKBERRY SMOOTHIE
1/2 cup ripe blackberries
1/2 cup plain Greek yogurt
1/2 cup ice cubes
1/2 banana
1 tbsp of sugar (Optional)
OPTIONAL: Substitute 1/2 cup yogurt with 1/2 cup vanilla ice cream for a delicious twist…. with ALL the calories!
BLACKBERRY TOPPING
For Ice Cream or Cheesecake!!
2 tbsp. sugar
2 tsp. cornstarch
1/4 c. water
1 c. ripe blackberries
In small saucepan, mix sugar, cornstarch and water. Cook and stir until thickened. Add blackberries; cook until bubbly. Chill. Spread on top of cheesecake and refrigerate or serve over vanilla ice cream.