Berries and Berries

Great News!

I have found Raspberries and Blackberries growing wild on the property.  Thus, saving us money on having to buy them. Which is the whole point of homesteading for us. Well, that and eating better and eliminating the chemicals, GMOs, and pesticides from our food.  I know that seems like a lot, but we just want healthy food that isn't bad for us or the planet.

I'm trying to figure out how to make it easier to get to them and to get a better yield from them.

I need to have some type of wire or string so that the blackberries can lean against something. I weeded a small patch of them this morning and it was exhausting. (I also found the poison ivy that was hiding in there, even though I was wearing gloves.) I also picked a lot of them out there and at a big chunk of them. The Blackberries are my favorite. So, I think I am going to concentrate on them more for now. Plus, I'm familiar with those types of fruit from the south.  These blackberries are so big and juicy! I gave some that  I potted up to my neighbor down the street. She has been bringing me produce from her garden so it felt good to be able to give her something too. Even though I know she isn't giving me stuff to get anything, I still like to be able to return the favor. 

The raspberries I'm not sure about, I've never had them growing anywhere on previous property that I've seen. The raspberries are small and don't taste as good. Plus, there is(are?) goldenrods growing interspersed between  them all  and really the set up would be good if the poplars we not in the way.
It goes Blackberries, poplars, goldenrod (That I want to mow down) and then the raspberries with some golden rod interspersed. This is going away from the house in the back. They have a constant souce of water in the low area that holds water for most of the year. I may water them a little bit if it doesn't rain as much, but for now they seem to be doing very well.

Maybe after I get some things to support them and get the other plants out of there and some more sunlight they will get bigger and do better. Oh, and of course some rabbit berries as fertilizer would go a long way I'm sure.

I made a blackberry pie. This is the berries in some sugar and lemon juice.  Also, you can just see some of the tomatoes that I grew this year in the top left corner. 

The pie is mostly gone...but this is what is left. It was GOOOD.