On Washington's Wild Blackberries, gardening conundrums and Maxim's De Paris Confiture Extra De Mûres

I've always loved berries. All kinds. Strawberries, red and golden raspberries, blueberries but especially the little obscure ones that are harder to find: Tayberry, Huckleberry, Boysenberry, Marionberry, Loganberry, Currants and Gooseberries. When I first moved to the Seattle area years ago one of the most happy surprises for me was noticing how King County's roadsides were covered with these invasive, thorny and for the most part unsightly Himalayan Wild Blackberry (Rubus discolor) brambles. Berry bushes e-v-e-r-y-w-h-e-r-e. All year long they would haunt you as you drove or walked by them, for the most part a nuisance. The promise of ripe berries that you must wait for all year long.

Except you can't really eat those berries. Unless they happen to grow in a patch of land away from traffic and toxic exhaust you just perish the thought. Now, if they happen to be growing in your backyard and you don't spray them with chemicals you are in luck. Maybe.

While living in Newcastle a few years ago we were lucky enough to have a beautiful garden with hydrangeas, ivy, herbs, evergreens and rhododendrons. The backyard picket fence dividing our garden from a huge empty lot overlooking Lake Washington was covered in blackberry bushes that fell onto our property. We waited with bated breath all summer for the very second when the plump and very juicy berries were ready for the picking.

After the first handfuls of berries and the first few thorny mishaps (ouch!) and staining episodes (there goes my favorite tea towel) you soon forgot the mess. You would devise ways to use these little gems. I mean, the leftover ones that you had not already wolfed down while picking. There were pies and jam and sauces made with them and shared with friends and family the whole summer long. It was fabulous! And you did not even mind the seeds getting stuck to your teeth. You welcomed the whole experience.

So imagined my surprise when I read about how most Seattle area gardeners were trying to get rid of them, forever, using non-chemical and chemical removal methods. Some tried digging the plants out. Others recommended the use of tractors and chains. Rock salt was mentioned too. How about hiring a herd of goats (they eat everything!)? There were (are) whole message boards dedicated to helping home owners with suggestions on how to contain or kill off blackberry vines.

I had to say goodbye to my garden when we moved to our Bellevue neighborhood and my cat had to part with his catnip patch ( I planted it for cuttings but since our cat has always stayed indoors, every kitty in the neighborhood enjoyed the catnip while he watched from the inside, through the window. Poor thing!). And out of all the lovely things that grew there it was the wild blackberry bushes I missed the most (I know for a fact that I was the only one in my neighborhood fertilizing and mulching my plants, much to the chagrin of my fellow residents).

Once in Bellevue, all I had was a huge terrace that saw many outdoor grilling parties but not as much gardening. If I wanted to see some blackberry bushes I had to wait for a walk with my friend Cindy at the Mercer Slough or a drive up on down I-5 or 405. For pies and jams, blackberries were to be found at Larry's Market (at a premium and not even local) or else I had to drive across the lake to purchase them fresh at Pike Place Market or perhaps take a drive up to Whole Foods, in Seattle's Ravenna neighborhood to buy a pint or two.

I still, of course, love blackberries. Only now I do not have my own patch but access to baskets full of them all over the city. At community farmers markets and a walk away at Pike Place. With summer in full force, blackberries are ready for the picking, the tasting and the buying. To make pies and tarts, sauces and jellies, compote and jams with. So go out and pick some or buy some. Make the most of the harvest and rejoice (and meditate) on the fact that we live in a state that has such an abundance of these babies that we can indulge in the idea of blackberries as a weekend weed whacking exercise. That some us can consider such a beautiful and delicious fruit a nuisance still boggles my mind.

And if you can't find them fresh, then go and get some fabulous blackberry jam at a Seattle area Neighborhood Farmers Market or stop by a local supermarket or gourmet shop and re-acquaint yourself with this wonderful summer berry. Then come home and have them with Greek yogurt or Fromage Blanc, nuts and honey. Make jam with them to slather on your morning crumpet, croissant, bagel or toast. Make mini tarts with it. Use them as fillings for pastries or cakes.

And if you happen to travel to Paris soon, do not miss a chance to pick up a jar of Maxim's de Paris (with whole fruit in it it is one of the best I've ever tasted) at Monoprix or the Grand Epicerie du Bon Marché. Stop at Hediard or Fauchon and purchase their lovely Blackberry jams. Heck, you can even find lovely imported blackberry jams and blackberry based products at places like TJ Maxx and Marshall's. So, put away that weed wacker, re-think Washington Wild Blackberries and go to market ASAP.