Wednesday, May 4, 2011

Blackberry winter

No, this does not refer to a modern day cell phone.  This is a (mainly Southern) term used to describe a brief blackberry blossomperiod of cold weather that coincides with the time the blackberries are in bloom, (typically in early to mid May).  Today is officially blackberry winter here, signaling the last of the major cold fronts moving through north Georgia.

Blackberry bushes are everywhere…and boy, do they have thorns!  Soon, we will be blackberriesseeing these ripening beauties along most every fence line around here.  Pickers beware though—chiggers abound, and they do love to bite and burrow in places you didn’t even know you had places.

It has been many years since I’ve made jam.  My mother was a great jelly and jam maker.  This tradition has now been passed on down to Amy, so instead of jam making, I will offer to keep the wee boys while she goes off to the canning plant.  I am confident that she will share her some of her bounty with her deserving parents.  And everybody will be happy.

Life is sweet, y’all!  Enjoy your hump day.

8 comments:

Empress Bee (of the high sea) said...

mmmmm, hot butter biscuits too! save me some!

smiles, bee
oxooxoxxoox

ivana said...

Buongiorno!!!
Consider me with you all!!!
Wonderful!
In the small pubblic park close to my house is a great mulberry...I had a blackberry bush but the roots went everywere to the other gardens..now I've some strawberry plants...I'm not sure I get fruits!!!!
Fantastic...I'll follow the story!!!

Big hugs!!!

Amazing Gracie said...

I've been blackberry pickin' and I know all about those dratted chiggers! I've got the scars on my arm to prove it, too. And, as I was ducking under brush to get to the better berries I came face-to-face with the biggest black widow I've ever seen! But the pie was sure worth it. (That was in Arkansas w/my former in-laws).
Your Clematis is beautiful. I can't make them thrive here - I think it's just too blamed hot. And I wish I could get a dose of that Gawgia air!!!
~~~Blessings~~~

Barb said...

I wrote a comment on my iPad and blogger ate it! It must have had some of that homemade jam on it or something.

Chiggers are dreadful creatures. They hide in the pine straw, crawling about to see who they can devour! Aaaiiieee!

I have not had homemade jam in ages. Al's Dad and just about all of his aunts put up all kinds of stuff from the garden. Although, Al's Dad was known to experiments with blending some fruits that should never share one jar... the results of these experiments were often quite good, but more often quite yucky!

Enjoy the wee boys... and the jam! Big hugs xo

LAC said...

I had never heard that before. I guess up here it could be called daffodil winter. Hahaha.

Sandee said...

When I was growing up we lived on a farm and there were lots of blackberries. Mom would send me and my sister out to pick blackberries and she would make homemade blackberry pies. They are still one of my favorite pies.

Have a terrific day honey. Big hug to you both. :)

Linda said...

With your post title, I immediately thought of a white smart phone!

I wish we'd get the last of the cold fronts through here but it seems like May just might follow in the chilly footsteps of April! I know we'll all be complaining it's too darned hot before too long but temps out of the 50's would really be nice right about now!

Jam and hot butter biscuits does sound really, really nice right about now!

Joy said...

And I like blackberry winter - but having to scrape ice off my windshield this morning is a little extreme, even for blackberry winter!