Last week we picked about a kilogram of blackberries at the local berry farm and I had put aside the last of them for my cereal yesterday morning. While they are available, we want to take advantage so it was clear another visit was necessary. The skies were grey and rain seemed imminent but, if we were quick, we might beat the bad weather. You can’t pick blackberries in the rain; wet fruit doesn’t keep. Marilyn’s happy to leave the picking to me so Jamie offered to come with me.
We got an early start but everything at the farm was in place ready to go. We collected our boxes and I think I had mine filled in about 15 minutes. We concentrate on blackberries, I think for sentimental reasons. We always picked blackberries when we were young and, in fact, Marilyn and I picked blackberries on Mt Keira in the days before we were married. Mum was annoyed that Marilyn came in with stained fingers and worried that she wouldn’t get them back into shape before the big day.
We had blackberries at Bluegate Farm in Hobart, near our flat in Deloraine and at Dilston. Of course, picking blackberries in those situations is nothing like what we have at Longford Berries. In those days, if I managed to fill half a jug after an hour’s work I would be delighted. We couldn’t avoid thorns either and our arms and hands would be slashed and bleeding.
At Longford Berries, the blackberries are the thornless variety; they are espaliered across a tall trellis so no berries are inaccessible. There are several long rows of them so it’s easy to find a spot which is relatively untouched. On this visit we picked about a kilogram each; I think they charge $13 per Kg. There’s a caravan on the site where they serve pancakes or shortcake with berries and icecream so there’s a lot to like about Longford Berries. I don’t know how long their growing season is but we’re looking forward to going back.
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