The secret blackberry patch and the personal battle between selfishness and altruism.

In My Humble Opinion
1

I was preparing to show a large nightclub near the Industrial Park for sale this afternoon, and the clients coming from New Jersey were quite late. Being bored I decided to investigate the large field in the rear of the property in my new (ish) SUV.
In the back, hidden from the eyes of man was about an acre of large, thorny blackberry bushes with the largest, plumpest, sweetest blackberries I have ever seen. They were everywhere in huge clusters like sweet, black gold. If I had a pail I could have collected a few gallons easily and come back in a week or two when the red ones ripened and gotten some more. It’s a secret, overflowing cornucopia of blackberry goodness.

My dilemma is this. I am a single dad and only have my children for 30% of the time. I don’t know how to bake a blackberry pie so gathering mass quantities would likely go to waste. If I tell someone like my friend at work (who is a single mom) and a master baker she and her kids will likely clean the patch out in a week or two. I am normally quite a generous person by nature but this blackberry field has me conflicted

It’s terrible to admit but the secret nature of my newly discovered little berry patch is one of its most entrancing features, and is probably the one I covet the most. It’s * my little secret* and no one knows about it but me (and potentially my kids).

If I tell her she can make much better use of the berries, and no I will not get a pie out of her for delivering the location. I know this because I did something above and wayaaaay beyond the call of normal friend duty for her some time ago, and never got the carrot cake she promised me, which is all the more bitter because she really is a terrific baker. (It involved a power washer cleanup after a sewage overflow in her house and that’s all I’m willing to say)

Anyway, she could make more practical use of the berries than I could, but the notion of these secret, sweet black orbs being touched and exploited by others is almost more than I can bear. I suppose I need to be a better person, suck it up and reveal to her my bounty, but my greedy lizard brain doesn’t want to.

Tell me to do the right thing.

2

Do the right thing.

That or pick the berries and make the jam or pie yourself with the kids. It’s really not all that hard. Recipes are online. If you’d like tried recipes I’ll share mine if you’d like.

3

Not to burst your bubble, Astro, but the odds are that you’re NOT the only one to know about this spot. You were merely lucky enough to find it, as others before you likely have done and will do again. As such, you are not the only one to have to choose between revealing its location or not.

The fact that they stand there today implies that these others have taken enough care to prevent its destruction. I urge you to do the same.

The joy, the wonder, that you felt upon discovering this hidden gem can be felt by others in the future, if you are very careful.

I would be very very selective in who I shared this discovery with, if I did so at all.

My suggestions to you:

First and foremost, learn something about the property on which those bushes grow. You refer to the area in which they were found as ‘Industrial Park’. I hope I don’t have to remind you that such areas were frequently polluted rather badly. It’s possible that nobody eats those blueberries because they know what’s in them. I hate to scare you like this but it IS something to think about.

Next, decide with whom you care to share this secret. My suggestion? Your kids, and nobody else. Perhaps one very trustworthy friend. Certainly NOT Ms. No Cake Lady. Make a Very Big Deal with the children about how this is daddy’s secret and how they can never ever ever (until they’re married with kids themselves) share it with anybody. Paranoid? Perhaps… but something like this deserves it, don’t you think?

Congratulations! You are now the proud ‘owner’ of a field of blueberries! Far, far more than you will be able to make use of. So go out and pick a smallish amount… gallon or two, perhaps. Find some recipies, or ask Abby for them, and learn to use them. Freeze some in the freezer. Make jams, jellys, muffins, all kinds of stuff. Let the kids help. It will be good fun, and you’ll all learn something.

And, if I may make one further suggestion… if you choose to take advantage of this bounty, pay it back. Clean up the area. Keep an eye on the bushes. Take care of them. Please don’t just take without giving. It’s good karma. q;}

4

Actually, as a commercial real estate agent and a CCIM I am pretty well versed on the Industrial Park and have even written a report on it used by apprasiers and the regional Economic Development office. The land was an orchard before it was developed as a park approximately 30 years so I figure the berries are fairly safe.

But I do appreciate the concern.

5

Pick as many as you want. Bring some to your cow-orker and ask her to bake you a pie in exchange for some extra berries. Life is too short to worry about such things. Be sure to consume as many as you can while you’re picking them. Life is uncertain, eat dessert first.

Recipe:

2-3 Cups Fresh blackberries
1 Frozen pie crust set
¼-½ Cup White sugar
½ Cup Cold water
¼ Cup Lemon juice
2 Tbs Corn starch
Dash of vanilla
Dash of salt

Rinse and pick over the blackberries. Mix all liquids then dissolve the sugar, salt and cornstarch into them. Heat over a low flame while stirring constantly. When liquid thickens add the blackberries. Wait for mixture to thicken again and dilute with more water if it is overly dense. Add the vanilla, stir, taste for flavor balance and pour into the lower pie shell. Remove second pie crust from tin and crimp into place over the fruit filled shell. Bake at 375° F for one hour or until the top crust and edges brown. Brush upper pie crust with egg white, sugar and water mixture. Bake for ten more minutes.

Remove and cool for 20-30 minutes. Serve with vanilla ice cream.

You lucky dog!

6

Mmmmmm, that sounds good, Zenster. I’m gonna have to go berry-hunting myself, gotta be SOME around here somewhere!

Astro, I should have realized that you’d know these things, didn’t make the connection. Glad, very very glad, that they’re safe to eat. Not to mention jealous!

7

What about collecting a bunch and freezing them for year-round use? Freezing is a good way of preserving food.

Here’s a page with links to information on how to freeze stuff properly: http://frugalliving.about.com/cs/freezingfood/index.htm?terms=freezing

8

Definately take Zenster’s advice. Pick them and don’t divulge where you got them from. Share in return for baked goods. Now if my son were involved, you’d not get half of your pickings back to your car before he’d have eaten them.

9

pick quick, before the birds beat you to it.

and yes, frozen pie crusts work quite well for those with minimal baking experience. you can also buy nut bread mixes, or corn muffin mixes, and just stir in a cup or so of berries to the batter before putting it into the pan/tin and baking.

10

Pick them quickly.

With your kids.

In your secret spot.

Have them pick an extra pail or two for the No Cake Lady.

It will show your children the charitable side and still keep the Big Delicious Secret ™.

11

Yup… I had a dozen good answers…
but like Shirley’s better than any I ran through my brain.

Sharing the no-cake lady is THE correct answer!
(NOT the location, just a bowl of berrys)

Good Find! Gonna Buy the property?

12

If pie is not your thing, blackberry wine is good too-for those nights you don’t have the kids

13

Blackberries freeze really well, and berry pies are easy to make. Go crazy, pick as many as you want! Spread the excess berries on a cookie sheet, and put them in the freezer. Once they’ve frozen, stick those babies in Ziploc bags, put 'em back in the freezer, and you can enjoy blackberry pies all winter long.

14

Wow. The hampsters ate my post. They must like blackberry jam.

Buy a box of sure-gel. Follow the directions carefully for making blackberry jam. It’s very easy. You will need: a large pot, tongs, a canning funnel, new canning jars, Domino sugar (pure cane, no beet), butter (not margarine), lots of clean dish towels/cloths. The cooked kind of jam is better than the freezer jam (especially with blackberries), but freezer works OK too.

Watch out for snakies. They like the birdies that come to eat the jam. Although, this advice is probably more applicable to the mountains of Virginia than to an industrial park in Jersey.

What the others have said about freezing.

Blackberry jam is gooood.

15

Wow. The hampsters ate my post. They must like blackberry jam.

Buy a box of sure-gel. Follow the directions carefully for making blackberry jam. It’s very easy. You will need: a large pot, tongs, a canning funnel, new canning jars, Domino sugar (pure cane, no beet), butter (not margarine), lots of clean dish towels/cloths. The cooked kind of jam is better than the freezer jam (especially with blackberries), but freezer works OK too.

Watch out for snakies. They like the birdies that come to eat the berries. Although, this advice is probably more applicable to the mountains of Virginia than to an industrial park in Jersey.

What the others have said about freezing.

Blackberry jam is gooood.

16

As a baker myself, I say go pick and freeze as many as you can now. You can decide later what to do with them. As Zenster posted, there are many excellent recipes for pies out there. Also jams, jellies, and so on. You could juice some, make a syrup and pour it over ice cream. Nummies!

Heck, I’ve made blackberry wine that’s pretty tasty, if I do say so myself. If you want more recipes, email me. I have a lot of different recipes in books, and can point to online places. Try sss.allrecipes.com It’s one of my favorites.

17

According to Alton Brown (Good Eats if you flash freeze berries using dry ice, they are much better and don’t turn to mush upon thawing out.

18

A vote for blackberry jam here. If you mix in a few underripe berries there’s usually enough pectin in the fruit itself to forgo adding any of the commerical stuff. Then you don’t need nearly as much sugar. I think it tastes much more berry-like this way.

19

Zenster …I… I’ve decided to make pie… oh the humanity. Is this “frozen crust set” you speak of available at most grocery stores?

20

Yes, look for a frozen pie crust that is made with butter. Examine the package closely and you will see that it usually contains two crusts already pressed into separate foil pans. Be sure to do a search on pie recipes before continuing. The one I posted was off the top of my head. Perhaps Baker would be kind enough to review it or post her own. She is a professional and might have some more tips for you. Pies are easy to make and bake. Be sure to freeze off one or two unbaked pies for later consumption.

You may also wish to check out the pie crusts that come in the spiral wrapped biscuit type packages. One of those might be better for freezing because it will never had to have been thawed and refrozen.

When using my recipe, make sure the cornstarch and liquid mix has come to a low boil and thickened all the way before adding any of the berries. This way, you’ll be able to thin it out if needed without worrying about stirring and breaking up the berries.

For a nice change up, consider buying a few baskets of fresh raspberries and making one or two “mixed” pies. They will provide a wonderful flavor variation. You might also think of using some pure light amber maple syrup instead of only granulated sugar. It will carry over a deep and enchanting flavor note into the pie.

Another interesting variation would be to use some fresh orange juice instead of lemon. I’d also consider tossing in a shot or two of good whiskey while the cornstarch mix is coming to a boil. Like the maple syrup, its caramel notes will add to the depth of flavor.