blackberries aren't so bad

I always thought I hated blackberries - tasteless, seedy things, and the core left inside the berry really put me off.

But I've changed my mind, and now I'm a big fan.  While riding my bike on PEI's Confederation Trail between the Bedford and Suffolk roads, I found a treasure trove of blackberries ripe for the picking.  The flavour is sweet and rich, and now I want more.










Unfortunately, the fruit comes with a cost. The blackberry vines are full of vicious thorns, and the best berries grow on plants perched just out of my reach on steep banks that threaten to suck me down to my doom.  While I was picking, I looked down to see why I was feeling all these pinches and bites, and found my feet and legs swarming with ants.  I had parked myself on a nest!  But with me, it's all about the food, so I risked life and limb to pick the tasty morsels.

I met a few people biking along the trail, and not one of them even noticed the berries shining through the leaves.  I offered them a taste, and I hope they will look around them and see what nature's bounty has to offer.  People may be afraid of what they find growing wild - we seem to be afraid of so many things these days.  Or maybe they think they can just go to the store and get what they need.  But not so many years ago, people had no alternative but to eat what was available to find, and who knows - we might find ourselves in that situation again.