It's that time of year again! Time to harvest dewberries. Click the label below this post for past dewberry posts.
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| Dewberries growing wild |
For those unfamiliar, the dewberry is a Southern favorite and a relative of the blackberry. It grows more as a spreading bush, instead of a climbing vine. Lots of thorns (tiny ones hat will sneak up on you) but the occasional stick is worth the fight. They are so yummy. A bit "seedier" than blackberries but just as sweet. You can see in the photo above that they pop up in all stages of ripening. It's been our experience that there are about two good weeks this time of year when they are ripe and ready. This past weekend was the first good weekend, this coming weekend will probably be the last and biggest haul.
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| Dewberry basket |
I gathered two of these containers full of berries. Minus a few sun warmed berries eaten along the way of course. You know, for strength while gathering!
No, this is not crime scene evidence or a terrible kitchen accident...this is the paper towel I put the washed berries on to let them drip dry before freezing. They are definitely messy, we've learned to wear gloves or we will have purple hands all day.
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| Frozen dewberries |
This haul wasn't bad. Looking forward to more this coming weekend. Then we'll have to save them in the freezer in order to stretch them out as long as possible so that we may enjoy them well into the Fall and Winter.
Dewberry cobbler anyone?
Though 2nd Man is wanting me to make that Dewberry Cake again. Hopefully we'll have enough to cook all sorts of fun things.
What a beautiful sight - fresh picked dewberries! Yes, of course, you gotta eat some while picking - nothing better than sun-warmed, just-picked dewberries. I used to have a Labrador who would go dewberry picking with me. She loved eating fresh dewberries and could delicately pick them with her mouth to get her fair share!
ReplyDeleteThey do seem sweeter when warmed by the sun. So funny what you said about the dog. While I was picking last weekend, Blue (2nd Family's dog) came running along with me to see what I was doing. I picked a plump one, tossed it on the ground, he snatched it up and promptly spit it back out. ha!
DeleteMama would freeze or can juice during the heat and busyness of the summer and make jelly or whatever during the lull of the winter. As she got older, she said the heat of the summer was too much for so much cooking and canning of summer berries and other harvests.
ReplyDeleteGreat words of advice from your Mom. It's smart to freeze the juice and save it for later in the year. I will have to remember that next year. :-)
DeleteI've never seen dewberries before but I guess they are like blackberries. Very neat. Please share how you use them.
ReplyDeleteYep, a relative of the blackberry. They just grow a bit differently but otherwise the same. Will definitely share some recipes. We've made jam and a cake and a sauce for ice cream in years past, we'll do something different this year.
DeleteLucky you! We were out of town last weekend and I was hoping to get some near us but they have been picked over. I'll live vicariously through yours, haha. Mayte
ReplyDeleteHi! Sorry about that, yeah, they get picked over here (well not at the farm, ha) but in the areas where they grow and anyone can get to them, you'll see people picking them and they are gone quickly. Stay tuned we'll have some things posted using them as we make something. For now they are in the freezer. Waiting, ha.
DeleteOh, YUM. You're lucky I'm not out there picking them for you as they would never make it to the house; eaten before they got there, just like my strawberries, as they just don't make it to the house.
ReplyDeleteThe berries would be delicious in a bowl of fresh made fruit salad or a cobbler or make some berry sauce to pour over your waffle, or pancakes.
2nd Man; when you make that dewberry cake; eat a slice for me :}
Have a great day and a wonderful week
Ha, I think the rule is "pick 2 eat 1"?? I never thought about a fruit salad. I mean I love fruit salad but never thought about one with these in it. Thanks. Cobbler DEFINITELY in the plans.
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