In which we ride in the SUNSHINE and a nice banquet is provided
Just in case some readers are worried that the Swamplands are drying up (two posts in a row about sunshine????)
...let me assure everyone that it rained buckets on Monday, Tuesday, and part of Wednesday.
Today, however, we had a terrific view of the Big Yellow Vitamin D Machine in the Sky!
We meandered through the unfamiliar brightness, and I took a bunch of photos of pretty flowers.
But I kept getting distracted by the FOOD!
Ground-vine blackberries (above and below). The ground-vines are the only blackberries native to this area--the others are invaders, and most of the invaders are classified as "noxious" as well!
Salmonberries (above), so-called because they look like salmon roe (eggs). Salmonberries are pretty, but also often bitter. This year they are relatively sweet. Ripe salmonberries can be red, orange, or yellow, but they all taste the same.
Black-cap berries (below) Harder to locate, and related to sweet thimbleberries. Black-caps are soft and lovely, without the big seeds found in other raspberry-esque berries. 
Himalayan blackberry blossoms (below)
Despite the recent months of un-ending rain, the Himalayan blackberry crop looks good for harvest in mid- to late-August. We'll need about 3 weeks of sunshine to make those berries good enough for us to brave the thorny vines.
Speaking of thorny:
Fiddle thinks thistle flowers are delicious.
Ahhh, we're approaching the one month of the year when yall quit cussing the blackberry brambles and just chow down. Makes me so jealous!
ReplyDeleteI'm jealous of the berries, but even more of the rain and cool temps. I'm melting, MELTING! What a world, what a world...
ReplyDeleteSo gorgeous (and yummy!)
ReplyDeleteI think I've had those Blackcap Berries before, but didn't realized they were a certain type, just thought they were blackberries!
ReplyDeleteBeautiful photos.
Great photos! All those different berries, how cool! We have a native blackberry, very rare, as the introduced Himilayan have taken over. But ours are ripe right now, and delicious. My horse has discovered he likes them too, but he has to pick his own. I hope you share with Fee!
ReplyDelete