Monday Munchies: Scratched Legs and Stained Fingers

Perhaps you're wondering what sort of “munchies” would involve scratched legs, stained fingers, and potential bug bites. Well, here's a riddle for you... what is black and bulbous, grows on thorny bushes, and makes delicious jam, scones, muffins, and cobbler? Why, blackberries, of course! That's the reason that, despite the prevalent pitfalls, Dan and I ventured out yesterday afternoon to explore the tangled blackberry bushes along a particular country road in northern Michigan. Early August is usually a prime time for such a rewarding activity, and given the fair amount of rain and sunlight that we've received this summer, we were hopeful about our prospects.

As it turned out, our hopes were well-founded. Although several bushes lay on the other side of a no-trespassing fence, and many of the available berries were still red and unready, plenty were black and ripe for plucking... which is exactly what we did. While the sunshine warmed our backs, and bumblebees hovered above the purple and yellow wildflowers that surrounded us, we picked a veritable heap of berries, even sampling a few along the way. After about an hour of picking, we managed to fill a large plastic bag with delicious, perfectly ripe blackberries. Ultimately, there were more to be picked, but frankly, we had tired of the prickly thorns – because, yes, as expected, we had succeeded in scratching most of our limbs. Perhaps it didn't help that we'd worn shorts and short-sleeved shirts, but it was simply too warm for denim and flannel... at least for me.

So, the question is... were the two pounds or so of yummy blackberries that we picked yesterday worth all the war wounds? Well, in my humble opinion, our hard-fought battle with sudden depressions, thorny vines, and annoying insects just made the berries even tastier, which is usually the case with anything worth having. It's almost always worth more when it takes a little effort to achieve or attain. So, what do you think? Would we – and our limbs – have been better off with store-bought blackberries instead?