Yes, we have ticks as the deer like the berries as much as we do and deer ticks are everywhere. Long sleeves, long pants, hat and spray with bug spray or skin so soft! Shower as soon as you get in the house and wash your clothes.

We have a few in our woods. However I prefer the wild black

raspberries. It takes much longer to get enough for a pie

though.

They should be good to eat, but watch out for snakes, chiggers, and thorns! Blackberry cobbler--yum!

Just be sure they are true blackberries and not something else!

I have read this whole post and nobody has mentioned making blackberry sauce, that is the best thing if you have an upset stomach. Try it you'll like it.

MMMM! Lucky you. Ours are still in the blossom stage here in East Tennessee. Will have to wait awhile for that particular treat. Here's an easy recipe. Mix together 1 C each of sugar and self rising flour; add 1 C milk and stir just until mixed. Meantime, melt 1 stick butter or margarine in a casserole dish. Swirl the butter around and pour the melted butter into the batter. Mix it a little and pour it all back in the casserole dish. Top it with 1 Cup of fresh blackberries and bake at 350 for about 35 minutes or until just a little brown on top. Easy, fast and really good.

WOW!!!!!!! :shock: :shock: Sure wish I was there to go pickin' with you!!!!!!! My grandma and I used to walk along her road and pick until we didn't have any room left in our buckets. We would then return to her house, sort through them, clean them, and make the best blackberry jams and jellies and of course, she ALWAYS had to make me a blackberry cobbler!!!!! :D :D She would can them, feeze them, eat them out-of-hand, make pies, cobblers, cook them and put dumplings in them, and as I said before make yummy jams and jellies!!!!! Enjoy your bounty!!!!!!

Thanks a lot!!! Now I'll have to take a break and wipe the drool off my keyboard!!!! :lol: :lol: :lol:

When I was a little girl my Mother made blueberry dumplins. Just clean the berries add small amount of juice,break up canned buscuits,boil them until done add those and talk about good. Its bringing childhood memories back.LOL!

OOOOOh!!! Yes...one of my favorites!! YUMMMMM!

We are in Loxley, AL. Hubby picked 3 gallons of blackberries a few weeks ago. We made jam, a blueberry/blackberry pie and froze the rest for later use. So so good!

We used to live in Oregon. Blackberrys for days. They are considered a nusance. Grow like weeds everywhere. blackberry pies, jellies etc.

THEY MAKE WONDERFUL BLACKBERRY WINE

I love blackberry cobbler or freezer jam. But I can't pick them because there is always oodles of poison ivy around them. You are so lucky!

Our blackberries don't ripen up here till July or so. About 10 years ago, I found a spot near the river that have the biggest fattest juciest blackberries I have ever seen. Maybe this year I will go and pick some.

Yeah alot of people think they are a nuisance. I remember the year that we moved to Oregon when I was like 11 or so my grandparents had an area of their yard that had blackberry bushes and grandpa, my uncle and my dad dug them out and burned the roots. They did a good job as they never came back after that. They also had 3 cherry trees. One next to the pump house, 1 out in the front yard and one in the back yard right next to where grandpa had his garden planted. Grandma conned me and my late sister into picking the cherries for her and we did for days and days there were so many. Then she decided to teach us how to make cherry pie...oh how much fun we had then. She had this little half circle table that folded down that had a little window with beautiful white lace curtains on it and she gave us each a cherry pitter. Not to mention Grandma ended up with purple polka dotted curtains from the juices splattering everywhere. :) Memories are so fun.

When I saw the state Alabama, I immediately thought snakes. They are after the birds that are after the berries. Just poke around in the vines with a lone stick.

Yes, we do have snakes here in AL. I'm on the river so have mocs and some others. Used to looking for them as have to watch in the yard too. Picked for a couple hours today, had my two big dogs with me, no problems. Tomorrow making jam for first time. Hope it turns out.

I live in east Texas and the fireants have mostly done away with the chiggers(red bugs) and also the little seed ticks.

are you sure they are blackberrys

I detest snakes and I'm sure some of you in the south can even hear me when I see one and scream.

Oh my, how I remember pitting cherries. I was pregnant with my first child. How I hated pitting cherries. I think I wishes the tree would die, and it did. I feel bad, well not that bad. lol

My little dog LOVED to eat blackberries off the bush when he was a puppy. Then one day, a large copperhead was under the bush waiting for a bird to eat. He got little puppy right on the nose! $450 of emergency vet bills later, the dog hates blackberries and won't go near them. Just telling you to keep an eye on your dogs when picking berries. (But they are my absolute favorite treat.)

Watch for snakes.

We were on vacation in Northern MN one year.We'd heard bears love the berries and to beware. As my mother and I stood in the thick of the bushes picking we heard loud snorts and chashing through the bushes. We stood frozen not sure which way it was coming from. We both jumped out of our skins as a large black lab ran past-

We were in Texas one year out at Lake Sam Rayburn, I think ,with my sister and brother in law. Sister in law and I went to town and on the way home took a side road , as I am an avid huckleberry picker of course I was watching the roadside and saw some blackberrie so had to pick them. Anyhow BIL said to me you are going to get tatooed. He meant by a snake but my husband is from Texas so was well aware of the snakes so was careful. Would rather pick huckleberries here in Montana becAuse all I have to watch for is black beArs, grizzlies and cougars. I am 71 and am still going out in the mountains picking berries. Blackberries are wonderful to eat though.

Do those of you who make blackberry pies use a sweet dough for the crust? Those are popular in this area.

I'm sure their edible.
My DH would most like have forgotten about the fur babies and sat there eating them..lol.
He love's them

No blackberries where I live now. I miss them!!!!! A blackberry picking day with my kids was an annual event when I lived in BC. We loved blackberry jelly, (less seeds than jam). Syrup is good too. Someone mentioned cobbler...try the berries mixed with peaches in a cobbler. OMG..now I am craving!!!! LOL

Patti

make sure to put on lots of insect repellant or you will get eat up

by chiggers !!!

One way to enjoy fresh berries is to mix with Cool Whip and serve on a slice of Angel food cake . Even diabetics can eat this., We enjoy them on our cereal, and in homemade icecream.Enjoy.

DItto!

Eleanor's black berry cobbler is FABULOUS. Go for it!!!!!!!!!

In the country people don't usually spray, but, ASK the property owner. I am not shy and I encourage you not to be.

Yum! Love them this way.

I was going to suggest the Eleanor Burns Cobbler recipe - it is fantastic. Just be sure the berries haven't been sprayed by the highway department. Being out in the country like that, they probably haven't been. Just wash them well and enjoy!