BLACKBERRY TIME: There are only two types of people in the
world. Dog lovers or cat lovers. Introverts or extroverts. Those
who like raspberries and those who prefer blackberries.

Right now, those who prefer blackberries are “in.” Blackberry
crops have not been as plentiful as we can remember in years past,
but the dogged will still be able to gather up a couple gallons
before picking season is past.

We had always thought there was just one basic blackberry.
Wrong. There are literally hundreds of species found all over the
world. There is even one called the Allegheny Blackberry which, in
theory, should grow in north central Pennsylvania but we’re not
enough of a botanist to differentiate it from its many kissing
cousins.

There are two main types of blackberry, erect and trailing.
Erect have stiff, arching canes that are somewhat self-supporting.
Trailing blackberries, also called dewberries in the East, have
canes that are not self-supporting. They include the Marionberry,
Boysenberry, Loganberry, Youngberry and Thornless Evergreen.

Blackberries are notable for their high nutritional contents of
dietary fiber, vitamin C, vitamin K, folic acid, and the essential
mineral, manganese. Blackberries rank highly among fruits for
antioxidant strength.

We also found it interesting that the astringent blackberry root
is sometimes used in herbal medicine as a treatment for diarrhea
and dysentery.

One of our sources of information pointed out that there is
“forensic evidence” (don’t ask) from the Iron Age Haraldskær Woman
that she consumed blackberries some 2,500 years ago!

There’s a superstition in the United Kingdom which holds that
blackberries should not be picked after Michaelmas (Sept. 29) as
the devil has claimed them, having left a mark on the leaves by
urinating on them. There is some value behind this legend as after
this date wetter and cooler weather often allows the fruit to
become infected by various molds.

One final piece of information. Have you ever seen a blackberry
that looks like it could be a cross between a blackberry and a
raspberry? No doubt, there is such a fruit, but normally they fall
into one category or the other.

Here’s how to tell: In a raspberry, the fruit receptacle (core
of the berry) remains on the plant when you pick the fruit. In a
blackberry, the receptacle is part of the fruit that you eat; the
fruit has no opening as does the raspberry.