Blackberries are Ripe

May was really dry, but in June we got just enough rain, and the blackberries have loved it. The berries are large and juicy and abundant. We have made two cobblers, frozen 4 quarts for cobblers later in the year and over the weekend I made 9 pints of jam. Another gallon of berries will do us.

There is something satisfying about seeing jars lined up in the pantry and knowing that your family will eat good over the winter from food that grew just outside your door. Peaches will be next. They aren't large, but there are a lot of them and the beetles haven't found them yet, so we should have plenty and some to spare.

Here's the cobbler recipe my grandma used. I love it because it's so easy.

• Melt one stick of butter in a baking dish. (I cut this back to 1/2 stick and it's still good)
• Mix 1 cup of sugar and 1 cup of self rising flour add one cup of milk to this mix. Pour over the melted butter. Add one quart of fruit and use spoon to make an 'x' through the mixture without stirring.
• Bake at 350 for about 45 minutes or until brown on top.

Of course we won't talk about the poison ivy on both ankles and arms or the chiggers that have eaten me alive.

We also got the first tomato from the garden finally. I made my traditional tomato and Miracle Whip sandwich for lunch Saturday, but the girls were not impressed. Next year I need to pay more attention to maturity dates and pick some early veggies so we don't have to wait until July for that first tomato and corn.

Google Reader pointed me to this local eating website that has some good information on it.

Pictures to come when I get them off my phone. Hopefully I'll have my camera back soon. The new one I got at Christmas decided not to power on.