After six years of growing food we’ve learned that different crops thrive in different years, depending on the weather. So far, 2014 is The Year of Berries.
Strawberries growing at Makaria Farm.
It caught us by surprise this June. Suddenly our lush green plants had ginormous blossoms, and 24 hours later (or so it seemed) those blossoms became strawberries, ripe and rosy sirens in the field. We hadn’t expected to be harvesting strawberries from our ever-bearing plants until late July, but the nights had been warm and our plants were eager to get started, a good six weeks earlier than normal.
Following this strawberry spring miracle I started paying more attention to the blackberry bushes that fence in our farm. The blossoms this year seemed larger than usual, and the green berries more abundant.
After those warning signs, it’s here: August is blackberry season. Cowichanites line the back roads, delving into the thorny bushes to fill whatever container they happen to have in the car. Friends reveal secret harvest spots in whispers. Neighbours trade jars of blackberry jam for home-brewed blackberry port.
In that spirit of sharing, here are some blackberry picking tips to make the most of The Year of Berries:
- A ripe blackberry is very dark (not red or purple) and comes off the stem easily when you hold it.
- Berries absorb water, which dilutes the flavour and shortens their storage life. If you really want to wash your berries, do so just before using them.
- To freeze unwashed berries, place them in a single layer on a baking sheet and put it in the freezer for a few hours. Then move the berries into a plastic container or glass jar for long-term freezing. This will prevent the berries from freezing together into a solid mass.
These strawberries were frozen for a few hours on a cookie sheet before being put into a Ziplock bag for long-term freezer storage.