The Bay Area blackberry season is on and the Blackberries in Dimond Park, (Oakland) along Sausal Creek are ripe. I recently picked 3 lbs on a hike. I like to make jam and wine from the berries I gather over the month of August. They are fine to freeze until you can gather enough of them for your recipes.
If you go, here are some helpful hints.
1. Wear jeans or you'll be in a world of hurt, long sleeves help and gloves even better.
2. Bring an extra bag to wrap around your first bag after the blackberry thorns tear it open.
3. Bring a third bag to wrap around your second and first bag after the blackberries rip holes in them and juice starts running down your arm.
4. Wear clothes you don't care about so that after your bag gets ripped open and the weight of your mother lode of blackberries squishes the bottom berries and juice flows out and down your arm, all over your shirt and down your pants, you won't mind.
5. Watch out for Pit bulls and Rotweillers running ahead of their owners. I know they're normally nice dogs but they don't know WTF you are doing in the bushes.
6. The farther up the creek the better.
7. And lucky number 7....stay out of my secret spot...I mean, admire rainbow trout swimming in Sausel Creek and consider how fortunate you are to be in a place so peaceful and beautiful in Oakland.
Next time, I'll bring a bucket ;-)
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