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Why make blackberry jam?
Blackberries have been claimed as a cure for dysentery during the Civil War, for diseases of the mouth and throat according to the ancient Greeks, and modern day researchers have found that they are up to 40% more effective than the next leading berry when it comes to fighting cancer. As a pizza-eating, beer drinking college type, what could be better for balancing the inevitable scurvy and resulting dateless nights than a stockpile of delicious blackberry jam? http://www.pickyourown.org/blackberries.htm
In Vancouver, blackberries are everywhere this time of year. We've been picking and preserving our own for a couple years now. It's a good way to save on foods and you'll have enough to last for months! When exams roll around, you'll be happy to have some sweets tucked away in your cupboard.
Blackberries have been claimed as a cure for dysentery during the Civil War, for diseases of the mouth and throat according to the ancient Greeks, and modern day researchers have found that they are up to 40% more effective than the next leading berry when it comes to fighting cancer. As a pizza-eating, beer drinking college type, what could be better for balancing the inevitable scurvy and resulting dateless nights than a stockpile of delicious blackberry jam? http://www.pickyourown.org/blackberries.htm
In Vancouver, blackberries are everywhere this time of year. We've been picking and preserving our own for a couple years now. It's a good way to save on foods and you'll have enough to last for months! When exams roll around, you'll be happy to have some sweets tucked away in your cupboard.
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Signing UpStep 1Picking
This is a great group activity. Take some friends out and pick berries for a few hours, until your buckets are brimming.
What to bring:
-Containers for your blackberries. (Old yogurt containers work well. Anything that's easy to clean will do. Smaller or shallower/wider containers will keep your berries pristine, if you're planning to eat some of them.)
-Scott suggested a reaching stick or hook if you're really into it. The best berries are always hanging just above your head.
What to wear:
-Long pants. This is not shorts territory.
-Clothing that can get stained or snagged.
You can adjust the proportions of your recipe based on how many berries you manage to pick. Bring the berries home and give them a quick rinse in lukewarm water using a strainer (to get insects out!) If you want to save some berries for later, or don't have time to make jam right away, now is a good time to pop those berries in ziplock bags and put them in the freezer.
Of course, you could always just buy your berries from the store, but we think this is more fun.
What to bring:
-Containers for your blackberries. (Old yogurt containers work well. Anything that's easy to clean will do. Smaller or shallower/wider containers will keep your berries pristine, if you're planning to eat some of them.)
-Scott suggested a reaching stick or hook if you're really into it. The best berries are always hanging just above your head.
What to wear:
-Long pants. This is not shorts territory.
-Clothing that can get stained or snagged.
You can adjust the proportions of your recipe based on how many berries you manage to pick. Bring the berries home and give them a quick rinse in lukewarm water using a strainer (to get insects out!) If you want to save some berries for later, or don't have time to make jam right away, now is a good time to pop those berries in ziplock bags and put them in the freezer.
Of course, you could always just buy your berries from the store, but we think this is more fun.
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Jul 10, 2010. 3:11 PMmattbomb
says:
hahha i remember. a couple days ago i was working an saw these. 4-3 days later i have a rash because of poison oak. man i went to town on those thing. so good. it was worth getting poison oak. my parent thinks it from camping a couple days ago but i dont think so
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Oct 25, 2009. 10:52 PMronmaggi
says:
Growing up in Washington state I remember my hands being purple by virtue of it being summer. Of course I picked the blackberries in shorts. If the blackberries were ripe, it was the only short wearing weather we had!!!
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