Controlled Chaos

Wild blackberries can take over a property. Their vines can entangle unused equipment or entire buildings and choke out large patches of vegetation. The cows will browse on the tender stalks and some of the flowers but they can’t keep the plants under control.

We mow the patches of blackberries down whenever we can except for a row of them down by the bridge. We mow along the edges  just to keep the exuberant vines contained.

This row was well established long before we came to the farm and actually houses two varieties of berries, the Wild Mountain(native species) and the Chehalem. Wild Mountain have large, rounded leaves on their sturdy vines, the Chehalem have a darker green leaf with pointy spikes and a less robust vine than their counterpart. Both varieties can rip you to shreds, if you rub them wrong.

The Wild Mountain berries are the first to ripen. They are plentiful and such a treat after not having fresh blackberries since last year. I always stop at the row when walking across the bridge to snack a few. I tend to carry a pair of long-handled clippers when the berries are ripe and whack my way into huge clumps of berries. The dogs join me and stick their noses right into the bushes, I can hear them chomping away on their lower level as I indulge a few feet above.  When the berries are nice and ripe, the cows will belly up to the hedgerow of blackberries and enjoy the fruit as much as the rest of us do.

The Chehalems finally start ripening in late August and September. I am always astounded by the taste difference! The Chehalem blackberries are so much sweeter with a more vibrant flavor and a smaller berry. I wonder why the Wild Mountain variety had tasted so good when this superior flavor was coming along in just a few short months.