I said "Hey Blackberry! Who's your friend?"

Awww the wonderful world of natural, free, roadside berries...

The obsession started when we came to Kitsap to house hunt at the end of July. I was looking out the window while driving down the freeway when "BABY! BABY!! Look! See all those plants - I think they are BLACKBERRIES!! Just growing there!! Growing there! Right there!!! ...Do you think we can pick them?"

Since then I think Chad wishes I were blind!

I thought we would miss the season, everything I read and what people said was that usually berry season was in July, and we weren't getting here till August... humph.

Luckily though - THEY WERE LYING!!!

The berry season here depends on the berry and location. Currently there are two VERY prolific berries ripe and luckily, right around Granite NW - the Salal and the Blackberry. The Salal is a berry kinda similar to a blueberry, but with a more subtle, less plump-juicy flavor. Its found near lakes and is ripe when the little green berries turn dark purple - so far mid July - mid August (picture at the top of this post). The blackberry on the other hand grow everywhere and their time of ripeness depends on their access to the sun - the earliest berries ripe early August, about half ready mid-late August, and shade berries hopefully ripe early September (I'll fix this if I prove wrong).

Chad and I go picking about once a week, usually getting between 3-8 cups of berries each time. Just enough to make a batch of jelly - Jelly, not jam - I have NEVER had enough berries to justify throwing away the pulp! Our last adventure was last Saturday - we spent about 45 minutes picking blackberries in the rain! Ended up being the juiciest pick yet! I am going to tackle berry pie next - Chad's new friends at work are requesting one! Then for the last pick of the season I'd like to freeze some.

Its funny cause it seems no one, but us, picks these things! The people of Washington are just jaded. I figure at $3 a little plastic tub - we probably pick $15 worth of berries each time - and its fun and decent exercise. It boggles my mind. Just to let you know - we usually pick in the parks, a little off the beaten trail - never near the roads. The county has a cool, pick what you want policy. And if you want to pick in the national forests its free for personal use or only $40 for commercial use.