Blackberries on the Fourth of July

Blackberry brambles wildly envelope the fence bordering our backyard and the pasture behind us. Most summers we get a small bowl full once or twice because the neighboring cow feasts on them before we get a chance to pick them. This year, we've been fortunate that the neighbors have kept less cows and a few horses in the pasture instead, and apparently, horses aren't particularly blackberry lovers.

Paulie and Elizabeth both enjoy helping me pick the berries, nibbling a few along the way. They'll even climb under the bobbed-wire fence to pick the berries that arch to the other side of the fence. We've already made one blackberry cobbler this summer which was met with rave reviews so I'm sure they enjoy contributing to another one.

They look like summer in a bowl. Don't you agree?