Blackberries

On a recent vacation in Laurel Highlands we had visitors who went with us to explore Ohiopyle and Confluence, biking, rafting and seeing Frank Lloyd Wright's Kentuck Knob. All that was great, but the biggest discovery was freezing wild blackberries.

I've always liked picking and eating blackberries on the spot, and for the past few years have frozen seasonal blueberries and cranberries for year round use, but hadn't thought to gather and freeze blackberries. My friends had been doing that all summer in Maryland, and we had a nice patch by our cabin to start with. Some of the berreis were as big as mulberries, and every day brought a new ripe crop. The day I left I picked about a quart in half an hour. At the usual supermarket prices I think that's about $12 worth.

So now I'm finding that fresh and frozen blackberries work as well or even better on oatmeal as blueberries and cranberries. The next step is to see what I can find in the vacant lots in Pittsburgh.