Blackberries!

Two years ago I planted two blackberry vines. Actually I planted them twice, first the bare root into pots because I hadn't developed the bed yet, and then the second time a few months later into their official home.

And then I waited.

I got a few handfuls of berries last year. And then the vines grew. And grew. And grew. I had chosen the variety "Apache" because it was a) thornless and b) it was supposed to have a height of 5-8 feet. The thornless part is true, but some of the canes measure well over 12 feet! I had to redo my staking last summer and wind some of the longer ones back and forth as they kept growing.

And this year I have been rewarded.

So far I've picked over four quarts. To put that in perspective, my recipe for blackberry cobbler calls for two cups, which means I could make eight cobblers.

And there still is a lot on the vine. 

Part of the picking process is figuring out which ones are ripe and which still need more time. You would think with a name like "blackberry" that color alone will determine if they are ready. In reality, if they are still clinging tightly to the vine they need a few more days.

If I take a look back to a month or so ago, I could tell this was coming. And that it will be a couple weeks until the season is through. Given the dry spell we are in right now, the vines are getting a good soak with the hose at least once a week to help the berries get big and juicy.

Now, to figure out what I'm going to do with all these berries...