"Late August, given heavy rain and sun for a full week, the blackberries would ripen. At first, just one, a glossy purple clot among others, red, green, hard as a knot. You ate that first one and its flesh was sweet like thickened wine: summer's blood was in it leaving stains upon the tongue and lust for picking...."
Seamus Heaney
Ahhh...Berry Picking, the quintessential summer activity. There is something satisfying about picking those sweet delicious little jewels off the the vines they have been clinging to, and watching your pail fill up with all of that berry goodness. Monday, my dearest friend Robin and I took the girl and her dearest friend to a wonderful little blackberry vineyard located near us. This place is the epitome of the small country farm. The kind of place located off a gravel road
Where you're greeted with signs like these
If "God will see you" doesn't stop all of those rogue "blackberry pickers gone wild" criminals, I'm sure the Winchester and the Big Black Dog would do the trick...I love living in Kentucky!
This little corner of blackberry heaven is owned and operated by the Barkers. Not only do they have rows of beautiful, thornless blackberry bushes
but they also produce their own blackberry wine! You can stop in the winery
where you can get a sample of their delicious blackberry wine, what could be better than a little shot of blackberry wine before you commence to picking?
Mrs. Barker manages the counter where she stands ready to weigh your blackberries, share some recipes, hand out samples of wine and gives away free icy pops to hot, sweaty berry juiced covered little girls. You will often find Mr. Barker buzzing around the fields in his golf cart or keeping Mrs. Barker company sitting off to the side in a folding chair waiting for customers
If you visit Barker's Blackberry Hill Winerybe sure to bring lots of buckets with you. You will quickly fill them with berry goodness. We picked 16 pounds of berries lickety-split!
These little gems were just waiting for us to pluck them off, and we did not disappoint
We filled our buckets to overflowing, and we had the evidence to prove it
Our trip to Barker's Blackberry Hill Winery was such a special treat! I am so excited to see what great recipes we can come up with for our blackberries. Starting first with some blackberry cobbler and of course some blackberry jam, so we can enjoy their goodness far into the winter. I want to invite my Northern Kentucky neighbors to take a visit out to the Barkers. Mrs. Barker said that they will have berries for only a week or two more, so don't delay!
And if you can promise to behave yourself while blackberry picking and not cause any trouble or steal any blackberries (the one or two or three we popped in our mouths don't count do they) than you will kindly be thanked for your patronage
and invited to come back next year...I highly suggest you take them up on that offer and visit the Barkers again and again, you won't be disappointed!
Cost: $1.75 per lb. Compare that to $2.00 for a a small little container at the grocery store!
