Wild Edibles Wednesday: Blackberry

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It won't be long before the berry deliciousness of blackberries will be coming in. So many memories are wrapped around picking berries. There used to be a place not far from the house that was called the bone yard. A man who owned 1000's of acres and dairy farmed hauled all of his sick, dead, and dying cattle to the bone yard. For some reason that place produced the biggest and sweetest blackberries. It also produced some of the biggest rattlesnakes I have ever seen in person, as well as billions of chiggers. My dad was more susceptible to chiggers than I. There were times he would be covered with the little parasites.

Few things are better than blackberry jam or cobbler.

Blackberries are a biannual plant meaning they produce fruit in their second year. The wild varieties have thorns that will tear you up. Some are sour, some are sweat. Wild varieties can be improved by taking a minimum amount of care. I have also seen blackberries used as a hedge and it makes a very impressive one at that.

Many people know about the berries, but few know of the uses of the other parts of the plant. Hope you enjoy and learn something.

Depending on where you are, the blackberries could be ripening now or in the near future. Cobbler is without any doubt my favorite way to eat blackberries, well besides fresh if the berries are sweet. As an added bonus. I am going to share my recipe for blackberry/peach cobbler. The combination of these two fruits makes the cobbler even more special.

          Ingredients:

•  1 1/2 cup self rising flour
• 1 1/2 cup sugar divided
• 1/4 cup milk
• 8 tablespoons butter melted
• 2 cups fresh peaches sliced
• 2 cups fresh blackberries washed and drained
• 1/2 teaspoon vanilla (optional)
• 1 tablespoon lemon juice (optional)

Preheat Oven to 375 

Crust:

Combine flour, 3/4 cup sugar, milk, and butter. Mix well should be thick even on the crumbley side.

Filling:

in a saucepan put peaches and 3/4 cup of sugar over medium high heat. Once sugar has melted and peaches have begun to soften add blackberries cook for approximately 2 minutes more. Remove from heat add vanilla, lemon juice and stir.

Place fruit mixture in bottom of 9X9 glass baking dish, spoon crust mixture on top. Bake for approximately 30 minutes or until crust is golden brown. Note: Fruit mixture will probably show through in several spots.

Best with homemade vanilla ice cream.

Well there you have it. I hope you enjoyed this post. Many more to come. Consider subscribing to the YouTube channel and as always any shares and comments are appreciated. If you would like to support our efforts to teach some of the old ways and are planning on buying something on Amazon anyway, please use this link. We receive a small commission and it doesn't cost you any extra. Thanks a bunch.

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Wild Edibles Wednesday: Queen Anne's Lace or Wild Carrot

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This is the first of the wild edible plants that I discovered as an adult. The discovery was made by accident. I was pulling several of the plants up when I realized it smelled just like a carrot and the root looked very similar as well. As a result of that observation I was on to more research. I have always been a plant geek and had a desire to be constantly learning. The original post  that contains a full write up has been pinned more times than a hand me down dress pattern on Pinterest. Nothing else comes even close. There is so much to know about this plant. 

I guess you can tell I am starting to get comfortable recording videos and am letting my personality shine through. 

Remember this one has a toxic look a like that can kill you! Be careful. If it doesn't smell like a carrot leave it be. The correct plant have a lot of uses. I encourage you to save all of these. Start a foraging Pinterest board, I have been told you can download the videos, that is fine.

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Wild Edibles Wednesday: Broadleaf Plantain

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This is actually the first wild medicinal I was ever introduced to. I remember we were working with the bee hives and my gloves weren't taped up right. My grandfather only wore a hood and nothing else. I got a be up the sleeve of my shirt. Of course it stung me. My grandfather just pulled a leaf from this plant, chewed it a little and put it on the sting. The pain went away very quickly. We didn't know the real name of the plant and it took me a bit to find out what it was. We just called it the sting plant. I have since made sure that this plant is around. There are even people who have asked for seeds. This plant has so many benefits and uses it should be at the top of your list to know.

 

Two of our children actually got involved in the filming of this video. So many good times can be had outside learning about the plants that are around you all the time. I hope these videos will encourage you to do so, especially with your children. I am happy to say that all of my children know and have used this valuable plant. 

It you enjoyed this video, please consider subscribing to the YouTube channel, liking and/or sharing the video itself or this post. If you would like to help support our efforts to teach people about the beneficial  plants around us and just go old country skills, you can do so anytime you purchase anything from Amazon by using this link. If you do so we are paid a small commission and it doesn't cost you any extra. Every little bit helps and we thank you for it. 

Together we can bring back some of the old knowledge.

Step by Step we are Bringing Rural Back.

Wild Edibles Wednesday: Dove's Foot Geranium

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Dove's Foot Geranium is another of the wild edible/medicinal plants that my grandfather introduced me to. He taught me about this one after I had gotten a little older, only he called is Crane's Bill. Luckily that is a fairly common name for this plant. I didn't realize how important this plant was to Europeans until I started doing research to record this video. Not very tasty, I have to admit, but the historic medicinal uses make it well worth knowing.

 

At this point I had learned that I had to have a disclaimer on every wild edible plant video. I guess you could say that I was getting more professional, I guess. This plant is considered by many to be invasive, but there are still people who plant it on purpose.

I hope you enjoyed the video. If you did, please consider subscribing. If you would like to help support us in teaching old timey and rural skills and you plan on purchasing something from Amazon anyway, using the link will pay us a small commission  at no additional cost to you. Every little bit helps and we greatly appreciate it.

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Wild Edible Wednesday: Woodberry or Wild Strawberry

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In this edition of of Wild Edible Wednesday we cover woodberry or wild strawberry. There is no other plant that I answer more questions about on social media posts. It is quite edible, can be used to make a drink, and many other uses. There is not much flavor, but still well worth knowing. 

I promise you will see improvement in the information and the quality of the videos as we go along. I have learned a ton while trying to teach others. Not only have I learned more about wild edible plants, I have also learned a good bit about YouTube itself. 

There are lots more to come. If you enjoyed this consider subscribing to the YouTube channel. 

If you would like to help support us in teaching old timey and rural skills and you plan on purchasing something from Amazon, using the link will pay us a small commission  at no additional cost to you. 

Step by Step together We are Bringing Rural Back