A Long Time Ago and Right Before My Berry Eyes

One of my favourite fruit is the berry, although I can’t decide between the red raspberry or the blackberry or whether I like them equally.

Growing up I spent summers picking berries for extra cash at the scout and guide leaders house only a few miles up the road.   Red raspberries.  It feels like a very distant memory but when I think about it, it’s a fond memory for sure.  There were a few of us and although today I cant remember exactly who anymore, I can remember I use to bike there and we had a lot of laughs and probably got ourselves into a heap of trouble on a regular basis. I have a recollection of water fights and berry bombing each other, and definitely eating more than we picked some days. And I remember thunderstorms and rain.  But then again, isn’t that a typical summer in Ontario?  They were good people and it was a fun side job for extra cash.

When I think about blackberries, I think of my grandmother.  She had a small patch behind the shed and it grew wild.  My grandmother always wore a dress except when she picked blackberries. When she picked she would don an old pair of farm coveralls that I assume were my grandpas.   I know exactly where she hung them: in that closet that hid the door covering the stairs going into the dirt basement of the farm house. I don’t remember my grandpa at all as I was very young he when he passed. All I remember about him is a photo of me and him sitting in a chair.  I think the picture is black and white.  As I think about it now, I don’t actually remember where all those pictures went to.  I’ll have to really think about that and see where they are for sure.      

The other thing I remember when I think about blackberries are the pies that my gramma and mom used to make.  It was a mixture of berries, both red raspberries and blackberries. It’s been years since I had a pie like that and the closest I ever got was at My Chosen Cafe, but it was nothing like my grandmother’s. They added a third berry to their pie, the blueberry, which honestly I’m not all that fond of.  Although with the blueberry comes an entirely different set of memories that come rushing to me.  Thinking of my grandmother and pies also reminds me of her sister, my Aunt Maxine, and the peach pies she used to make.  I actually remember the last time I had her peach pie at her apartment and I doubt I’ve had a slice of peach pie since.  Both my gramma and aunt have passed now but it’s endearing to think about and remember this about them.  It’s also truly a shame I don’t like to bake because those are two pies I would die to eat right now.  

Memories are a crazy thing.  How they sneak up on you, warm you and then just leave you.

When we moved to BC I was taken back by the wild blackberries and how they grow everywhere.   And I mean everywhere: along the roads, along the trails, in your backyard and even out of the rocks.  They are found everywhere.  And in BC where there are blackberries….there is port.  But that my friends is an entirely different post.

So there you have it, my love of the red and black raspberries.

As I think about berries, I am also taken back to a delicious cocktail featuring the blackberry.  It’s called the Soho or Blackberry Bramble.  My first experience with this beauty was on a Celebrity cruise.  Since then I’ve sampled it a time or two at a brewery in Vancouver. While pretty good over there, definitely not the same as that one on the cruise. But perhaps that could simply be that everything tastes better on a cruise ship!  This Soho Bramble is a light refreshing and a summer must. It is actually the second cocktail that I love that features Chambord. So give it a try or give me call and I will whip up a batch or two for us to enjoy on the deck!