No mistaking it.. autumn is pushing her way in, compressing time and sapping my energy. Days grow shorter as the work load grows larger and with it an increasing urgency. The hunter / gatherers are hard at work. I looked out my window at the elderberry bushes by the pond. The birds, in increased numbers this year, had been hard on them already. I wonder what that says about the coming winter.. will it be harder than usual? If I were to have any elderberries this year, I'd best get out there in between the storms. By tomorrow it might be too late.
Already there were mighty few.
It is hard. I want the berries to be ripe, dark and full. The birds aren't so picky and take them as they turn from red to purple.
I cut as many clusters as I could find ripe and headed to the blackberries. These, I've kept up on. Gallons are already in the freezer. It had been four days between the last picking. Last weekend's VT Sheep & Wool had kept me away. Oh, the berries were sweet.
Cold from the rain and plumped full. I ate handfuls as I assessed the job ahead. It would have to wait, thunder was rumbling closer and I could see the lightening in the distance. Oh no.. a thief has been here as well.
I'd be back first thing in the morning to pick, singing my way across the field of trees, announcing myself in advance.
Comments
9 responses to “walk with me.. hunt and gather”
Whose scat is that?
Love the poetry of heavy sweet blackberries, cold with rain. Mmmm, I can taste them now.
Elderberry wine?
Is that bear scat? LOVE your pictures, it looks like I could reach into the computer and grab some berries! If it were only so…
Good grief I’m hungry now. You mean blackberries don’t always come in tiny plastic boxes from the grocery store?
Yummmmmmm…. everyone wants to fatten up before winter.
Those blackberries look absolutely fabulous. It was a bear, right? Be damn careful.
Luscious pictures! Thanks for stopping your berry munching and snapping pictures for us.
Yum! Berries! Gotta go get me some now.
Fall never ever waits for October – even so, I am surprised every year that it doesn’t. Mountain ash berries make particularly decorative bear scat… I’ve strongly considered it as a colourway, but couldn’t quite bring myself to do it.
Well at least he left you a calling card to give you a heads up! I say, he is claiming that berry patch for his own!