Summer Harvests and Winter Projects

Check out these reader letters sharing the joys of seasons past.

By Grit Readers
Updated on June 14, 2022
article image
by Adobestock/san_ta

Sweet Memories

“‘Berry’ Sweet Rewards” in the May/June 2022 issue brought back a lot of memories. Today, to cook a blackberry pie, we go to the freezer and pick up a package of berries. I grow the thornless berries on the part of our farm I reserve for fruit trees and berries. That was not always the case, however.

cluster of blackberries hanging from bush

Growing up, blackberry picking meant following the rules set by my aunt, one of my father’s older sisters. Early on a Monday morning, meaning 5:30 a.m. in order to beat the heat, she would arrive at our house to pick up my mother and me to drive 4 miles down the road to my grandfather’s farm. Before leaving our house, everyone was inspected for proper attire, including heavy pants of some sort to fend off the briars. Next, we tightly tied a strip of cloth around our ankles so the dreaded chiggers couldn’t climb in and bite. We’d add a few dabs of kerosene to the cloth to further block the chiggers’ invasion. We’d also wear heavy shirts, with our wrists wrapped similar to our ankles, minus the kerosene. Lastly, we’d wear big ugly hats to avoid sunburn, and boots or heavy shoes. A supply of gallon plastic buckets that once held ice cream would be secured. These smaller buckets filled the larger containers…–…usually some granite “canners” into which we’d empty our gallon buckets of berries. These containers were placed in the back seat with me, and off we went.

berry pie with lattice crust in cast iron skillet

This excursion may have been a yearly event in the early 1950s, but it’s still a flashback to me every time I walk past some of our beautiful berry vines that grow just a short walk from our back door.

Online Store Logo
Need Help? Call 1-866-803-7096