Scouting Dewberries

Dewberries, Rubus travialis Michaux, are a bramble fruit, related to raspberries and blackberries. Dewberry vines/bushes grow wild here on the Farm and elsewhere in The South. The brambles are thorny and rambling. Therefore, the berries are a real pain in the neck to pick. But they are worth the effort. I know this because Rocky & Missy & I scouted some of the prime dewberry patches today and I evaluated a very ripe one. Sweet!

From Lucile Parker's (1999) Southern Wildflowers, Pelican Publishing Company

This illustration is misleading, but illustrates another reason dewberries are such a pain to pick. The berries on any given bramble do not all ripen at the same time. In the illustration, those berries at the ends of the vine should be red (not ripe), not black (ripe). Also, compared to domestic blackberries, dewberries are small.

One must work hard & smart to harvest a respectable quantity of dewberries.

In anticipation of dewberry season, I did some research.

I learned

WikiHow: http://www.wikihow.com/Pick-Dewberries

that I should dress appropriately for my "outdoor experience" and that I should find a plastic bag and a walking stick.

Are you freaking kidding me?

It gets better.

Seriously?

Here's why I think this is so funny. We were traveling last week. And so I saw some signs instructing me on how to wash my hands. I'm a grownup. I know how to wash my hands, and I also know how to pick berries.

To those who need instruction on these fundamentals... what the hell heck was your mother doing when she should have been teaching you these things?