Week of August 18

From early August until frost, a major attraction at TAProots is our BLACKBERRIES.  We have planted different varieties so there are always blackberries to pick.  TAProots has two types:  thorned and thornless.  The first to ripen is the Illini, a vigorous and hardy variety with abundant thorns that ward off all but the most fearless pickers.  Because they are early, huge, and abundant, they find their way into jams and cobblers.  The second wave are the thornless Triple Crown variety.  These were some of the first plantings at TAProots fifteen years ago. I planted two rows about 30 feet long and 7 feet apart.  Unexpectedly, they grew so well that the walk between the rows became impassable for an adult.  However, for a little person, the arching branches and no thorns, it is a perfect tunnel.  Then, when the big, juicy blackberries are ripe, the grandchildren can pick and eat as they go along.  I named this my Smurf machine, since any child entering it comes out the other side purple.  The final variety are the Primark.  These have thorns but are primocane, meaning they are cut down in the late fall and give fruit on the new branches.  The later blackberries are used in jams, sometimes combined with our peaches ripening at the same time.  Another favorite is blackberry liquor, with large volumes of berries covered with vodka in 2 liter jars, and put out in the sun for 6 months or so, then poured off the berries and bottled.  It is a superb addition to Sangria.  At TAProots, August means blackberries.