On the back hillside of our Carlsbad home are a couple of giant philodendrons that have grown to the size of prehistoric monsters. Four years ago, we noted a tall prickly weed with white flowers that had sprouted tall above the fence and deep within the monster plants. I seem to recall Mike asking one of the boys to cut it down– which never transpired.
Meanwhile the monsters continued to grow and three years ago, I decided to weed around the philodendrons and plant butterfly bushes. While sitting on the hillside pulling weeds, I caught a glimmer of red in the corner of my nearsighted eyes. Further inspection revealed lots of stickers and lots of blackberries–some of which had already ripened.
Oh joy! That May and June blessed us with buckets of berries, which went into smoothies, oatmeal and muffins. As we picked seeds from our purple teeth, the family wondered how we had been gifted with such an unexpected blackberry patch. All agreed that the vines likely came from our composter with seeds transported by birds–or other critters.
It was truly an accidental garden–and one that blesses us/me with berries, scratched arms and seeded teeth each spring. This afternoon yielded the bowl pictured and I am thinking of making this blackberry freezer jam with kind acknowledgement to Mrs. Warren, who lives somewhere in Georgia and courtesy of this lovely and this very Southern blackberry site.
| ***Blackberry Freezer Jam*** | |
| 3-1/4 cups prepared fruit (buy about 2 qt. fully ripe blackberries) You will need clean plastic containers or jelly jars!! 1/4 cup fresh lemon juice 1 box Pectin 1 cup light corn syrup 4-1/2 cups sugar, measured into separate bowl
Sometimes, afternoons like this put perspective and grounding into the business of San Diego real estate! by Roberta Murphy—Carlsbad, CA |