Abundance of Blackberries
By Carmela
@Carmelanirel2 (8084)
United States
July 19, 2016 9:30am CST
I take pictures every time I go and harvest the blackberries (which is every other day) and this one I took this morning and added text to it, thanking the One who supplied and the amount I got.
In the past, the most I picked in one setting was 3 cups. The berries were ready for harvest a week ago and in the time I froze 7 cups of berries (not counting the extra 1/2 cup I occasionally get and leave out for cereal or pancakes) but this morning I was almost in tears as I ran out of the smaller baggies and had to use a larger bag to freeze the last cup.
So now I have broken the record, picking 8 1/4 cups of berries in one morning and there are still many berries left. I am going to make a pie, but also many muffins and lots of jam this season. So much jam, that I have to buy more jelly jars.
So I am blessed, but I really need to focus on my editing. This means that I will still be around, but not as often. With lack of motivation, I am going to force myself to start with one hour in the morning to work on my novel. If I don't get this done by Sept, it won't be ready for the next PitMad.
12 people like this
15 responses
@Marcyaz (35316)
• United States
20 Jul 16
@Carmelanirel2
Children can be a distration when you are trying to work on something. Good Luck with your editing.
1 person likes this
@Carmelanirel2 (8084)
• United States
19 Jul 16
My son is up now (the reason I need to work on my novel before he gets up is because he is a distraction) so I will have to start tomorrow. But that's okay, I also had to update LibreOffice before I started, so now I am really ready to edit.
@Carmelanirel2 (8084)
• United States
19 Jul 16
Oh yeah, I only pick the black ones, but since I pick every other day, soon the pale ones will ripen. That is what I mean, I got over 8 cups today and yet there is so much more than will be ready to pick in the next week or so.
@SIMPLYD (90722)
• Philippines
24 Jul 16
@Carmelanirel2 Yes, it seems to be in cold climate countries really .
1 person likes this
@Carmelanirel2 (8084)
• United States
22 Jul 16
Oh yes, they are very delicious. I make everything from jams, to muffins, and pies and I add them to cereal and pancakes. I guess these plants are for a cooler climate, though they are ripe when it is hot. Because someone in the southern states (where they rarely get cold weather and snow like I do) also said there are no blackberries around them.
1 person likes this
@Carmelanirel2 (8084)
• United States
24 Jul 16
@SIMPLYD Yes, but you get some wonderful things too, like citrus fruits, mangoes, bananas, pineapples...(I could go on and on about fruit I can't grow, would love to go out and pick my own grapefruit)
@Carmelanirel2 (8084)
• United States
19 Jul 16
The drawbacks are the thorns (blackberries are worse than raspberries) and when the berries are gone, I have to cut back the very long branches, because it will grow out of control if I don't.
1 person likes this
@crazyhorseladycx (39509)
• United States
20 Jul 16
i was banned from pickin' blackberries (blueberries, raspberries, etc) when i was growin' 'n e'en when i visited my dad 'n his gardens. somehow i always came back to the house with way less'n he'd'n mind. hmmm, wonder who ate all those tasty morsels?? lol
so glad that'cha've been blessed with such abundance. best'f luck with that editin', though i dunno what a pitmad thingy'd be?? which reminds me, i got one sittin' 'n the warmin' oven i need to tend's well. perhaps when autumn comes'n the cold winds blow since i've no timeline.
1 person likes this
@Carmelanirel2 (8084)
• United States
20 Jul 16
I allow my son to eat some, but he knows if he eats too much, there will be no muffins or jam, and he loves both a lot.
PitMad is a twitter thing and on certain dates authors create a tweet about their novel, but only on that date and only three times that day, from 8 am-8 pm EST. Since it can only be 140 characters long, it is a like a sales pitch, short and but strong enough to sell.That is where they got the title "Pit" and "Mad" is probably because publishers and agents must go mad looking for this tweets and like the ones they are interested in.
1 person likes this
@Carmelanirel2 (8084)
• United States
20 Jul 16
@crazyhorseladycx I normally don't Twitter either, but on this writing site I saw other authors talking about and read some blogs where authors got his or her book published by finding an agent this way.
1 person likes this
@crazyhorseladycx (39509)
• United States
20 Jul 16
@Carmelanirel2 ah, i see. i don't twitter so reckon that's why i'd not heard'f such?? interestin' format fer the publishers'n agents. i miss the good ol' days when't comes to those matters.
1 person likes this
@supervalon (1208)
• North Las Vegas, Nevada
19 Jul 16
Aw, so sweet. Are you selling those blueberries, or you are actually collecting them to make juice/eat them?
2 people like this
@Carmelanirel2 (8084)
• United States
19 Jul 16
This is the first time I collected this much before, but in the past, I freeze them and use them to make everything from muffins, pancakes, jam, and smoothies. There was one year where I had enough that lasted until the next season, and that was when I collected 3 cups in one day, so I'm sure these will last beyond next season.
1 person likes this
@bunnybon7 (50973)
• Holiday, Florida
21 Jul 16
oh yum. wish I could get berries like that and jam.
1 person likes this
@bunnybon7 (50973)
• Holiday, Florida
22 Jul 16
@Carmelanirel2 watch for snakes though. we were always warned when I was a kid. they like hanging under those for some reason
@Carmelanirel2 (8084)
• United States
22 Jul 16
There are bushes all over the county if one knew where to drive. I'm glad I have mine in my backyard, that way all I have to do is dress right (I get up early enough that by wearing long pants I don't get hot) so I don't get scratched up by the thorns.
1 person likes this
@changjiangzhibin89 (16764)
• China
20 Jul 16
It makes my mouth water!Good for you! This year you have a bumper harvest in Blackberries.
1 person likes this
@changjiangzhibin89 (16764)
• China
21 Jul 16
@Carmelanirel2 It is great It must be enough to see you through a year.
1 person likes this
@Carmelanirel2 (8084)
• United States
21 Jul 16
@changjiangzhibin89 we have now started picking every day and getting about 4 cups a day. I haven't measured today's harvest, but I am sure it is around 4 cups. This batch I am going to use for jam.
1 person likes this
@Carmelanirel2 (8084)
• United States
20 Jul 16
Hi, yes so far I got just over 20 cups and there are many more left to pick. 
1 person likes this
@koopharper (7601)
• Canada
20 Jul 16
Don't think the blackberries are ready here yet. We don't have any close by though. We have raspberries growing wild all over in here. Birds get most of them but there are always some left for us.
1 person likes this
@koopharper (7601)
• Canada
20 Jul 16
@Carmelanirel2 At some point I'm hoping to establish my own raspberry and blackberry patches. Just haven't had the time to prepare beds and propagate the plants I need. I know a place in Moncton where blackberries are growing wild. So I have potential sources.
1 person likes this
@Carmelanirel2 (8084)
• United States
20 Jul 16
@koopharper I got 4 3/4 cups this morning, I decided to start picking every day since there are so many.
1 person likes this
@Carmelanirel2 (8084)
• United States
20 Jul 16
Yeah, I didn't get as many red or black raspberries, just enough to put on my cereal. However, your time should come along soon.
1 person likes this
@Carmelanirel2 (8084)
• United States
19 Jul 16
I know, right? I am in awe of getting so many in one picking.
@Carmelanirel2 (8084)
• United States
20 Jul 16
They are sweet too. I had some on my cream of wheat this morning, yummy!!!
1 person likes this
@Carmelanirel2 (8084)
• United States
19 Jul 16
Yeah, you have to check them to know how they are progressing and start picking when the timing is right.
@AutumnSnow (4583)
•
19 Jul 16
I love blackberries, my husband's favorite is raspberry. I missed are old place in some ways cause there was a trail behind our house and you could always find a ton of both we'd always pick them and save some back to eat of course,lol and the rest make jam with it. I can't wait till we get our own house which will hopefully be soon I plan on planting some if there aren't any around.
1 person likes this
@Carmelanirel2 (8084)
• United States
19 Jul 16
I remember when we drove around looking for berry plants and when the birds planted some for me, I was thrilled, but still had to go elsewhere if I wanted enough for a pie. Now that I am getting such a large harvest, I only have to go into my backyard, so I hope you get a place soon with lots of berry bushes. 
@Carmelanirel2 (8084)
• United States
19 Jul 16
Not enough to sell like one member asked, but enough to keep my family in berries until next season.
@Carmelanirel2 (8084)
• United States
19 Jul 16
It took years of me taking care and not allowing my husband or son tear up the newer plants that I have such a hug bush now. Like I said, the biggest I ever gotten was maybe 3 cups and that was only one day that season. From the looks of this year, 3 or more cups is going to be easy to pick for a while.
