Hey Blackberry (Bam-Ba-Lam)!

It’s August, and that means just one thing for the Lower Main­land of B.C.: the wild black­ber­ries (the edi­ble kind, not the things you text on) are in full bloom!

It’s been a lit­tle while since the last time I wrote. Sum­mer turned out to be a very pro­duc­tive time full of ideas, plans and projects, all of which I’m look­ing for­ward to shar­ing with you – soon, I promise!

Nanaimo sun­rise — view at 6am

This past week­end, we had a won­der­ful time in Nanaimo set­ting David’s dad up with his own brand new com­puter – the first he’s touched in more than 18 years. It was exhaust­ing  and exhil­a­rat­ing at the same time. It just reminded me of the many won­ders we enjoy today that many times I take for granted. And also the impor­tance of keep­ing curi­ous, active and healthy for the approach­ing “golden years.”

First picks of the sun

The best part of the trip for me was the dawn hours. While the whole neigh­bour­hood was still asleep, I snuck out of the house and picked and munched my fill (and then some) from the gor­geous, big, plum-y black­berry bushes grow­ing in front of my in-laws home, as wild as they can get. I LOVE them – it reminds me of my dad’s won­der­ful pre­serves, when he would make his sim­ple desserts of “fruit in sim­ple syrup.” Mmmmm – per­fect for that quick change of taste after a nice lunch or dinner.

Black­berry flowers

If you live in Van­cou­ver, Van­cou­ver Island or just about any­where in the Lower Main­land, explore the hik­ing or bik­ing paths or parks near you. There are ripe black­ber­ries all over the place. If you bring a pail with you, there’s almost no end to the deli­cious things you can do with them – waf­fles, pan­cakes, muffins, apple-blackberry pie, souf­flés or my per­sonal favourite, all on their own.

Juicy ones, always far away from reach!

If you don’t hap­pen to live in B.C., find out what’s in sea­son where you live, then take your fam­ily out to explore and enjoy!

Happy munch­ing!

Fruits of my harvest!