Yesterday, while at a park in the Riverside area, Gracen and I were reminded that blackberry season is in full swing in the Lower Mainland. We quickly picked enough for dessert, then continued on our way, and agreed to come back the following day to get more.
Unfortunately, we’re still dealing with some nap issues, and Gracen didn’t end up sleeping this afternoon. After giving her a good hour and 45 minutes to try to fall asleep, we hopped in the car and headed out to go blackberry picking. She was all gung-ho, but after being in the car just 5 minutes, I turned around to find this. My nap-needing little monkey fast asleep in her car seat.
(As a side note, I know that her leg positioning looks a little awkward in this photo, but having her feet propped up like this isn’t her usual riding position. Normally her legs are either criss-crossed or down to the sides, and because she’s never known any different, she doesn’t mind one bit. Our plan was to keep her rear-facing until her second birthday, but as the day looms near and I continue to read articles like this and this and watch videos like this and this, I’m starting to feel like we should wait longer. We’ll have to see.)
Luckily, I was able to find plenty of bushes right along the road to pull up to and pick from while Grae snoozed peacefully with the car doors open. Let me tell you, it worked out for the best that she fell asleep. Blackberry picking is dangerous work.
Here are a few things I learned:
1. Wear gloves. Judging my glove-clad fellow pickers, most people already know this.
2. Wear long sleeves. Blackberry prickles are ruthless and the more protection you have from them, the better.
3. Wear jeans instead of a sundress. See reasoning above.
3. Don’t discriminate based on size. As long as their dark in colour and slightly soft, small berries are every bit as delicious as the big ones.
4. Bring a tall friend. Let me tell you – if I were only 6 to 8 inches taller, my collection would be much, much larger.
5. The industrial area just south of Marine Drive between Cambie and Kerr is absolutely overflowing with blackberry bushes just waiting to be picked. Buying blackberries at a grocery store seems crazy right now.
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Photos edited with Instagram. Find me under jkossowan.