Blackberries

Well it is blackberry season for sure. But then I guess the whole summer is blackberry season for one variety or another. I picked four different kinds of blackberries today at the u-pick. Can you tell the difference? You can when you pick them and when you taste them too. We are going to have a taste test later today to see if the kids can tell the difference between them. The top row in the picture are Triple Crown blackberries. Samuel asked why they called them Triple Crown and I just found a quote from the Agricultural Research Service's Fruit Laboratory in Maryland. "The berry gets its name from three crowing attributes- flavor, productivity and vigor. So much for that name. Anyway, they are one of three thornless blackberries I picked today. Another is the Waldo blackberry (right basket, center row). I prefer the Triple Crown to the Waldo. The best of the three thornless blackberries is the Chester (left backet, center row). I love the thorn-free picking but I prefer the thorned blackberries' flavor over the thornless, hands down. The Silvan blackberries on the bottom row have thorns for sure but their flavor is the best of the four, in my opinion. They are much sweeter and juicier, softer. I actually like the Himalayan blackberries that grow wild all over the place around here, even if they are considered invasive weeds. They taste great. I let some grow in our yard each year to pick at the end of summer and then cut them back.