Blackberry Goodness

                     

Berry picking is in full swing over here and I am loving it! I can't recall ever picking berries before. My husband couldn't believe it, but I also have a very poor memory. I blame the children. They will suck all life out of you. If you haven't had children, consider yourself warned! I can remember dates, birthdays, silly facts/quirks about a person or inside jokes but my childhood memories are minimal. Maybe I should seek professional help!? Anywho, berries! We drove up to Oak Glen since it's only a short drive now, and had our first family berry picking sesh. We weren't as prepared as we should have been because we went on a whim. But we had baskets and that's all we need right?! Well, the boys had to get familiar with the pokey bushes and developing an eye for the berries. As well as not dropping their whole basket while walking. That's a biggie!

                               

                 

We ended up coming home with plenty of blackberries, stained hands and a few pricks and scratches from the bushes. After much deliberation I decided on making these super yummy Blackberry Pie Bars. They were easy, fed a crowd, and delish.

                               

A few weeks later we went back, fully ready with our long sleeve shirts, pants and close toed shoes! We were ready, and the boys jumped right in..almost. Miles protested by taking each berry he found (all 12), squished them through his little fingers and threw them in the rocks. He came home looking like he was in a bloody brawl and the berries won.

                                

                                 

Aside from that the rest of us enjoyed the gathering and taste testing of berries. This time I made a blackberry pie per boys' request. And honestly, you can't go wrong with pie! Well unless you completely botch the crust, which I've done many times. But what I mean is..everyone loves pie!  

                 

I don't have a "go-to" pie crust recipe yet so I was having trouble deciding which one to make because there are SO MANY different recipes out there. I ended up going with an all butter crust and chose the pie recipe from a Southern Living Cookbook. I was happy with how it turned out and my kitchen smelled like heaven. It's so hard to watch a cooling pie without scorching your finger to sneak a taste. But I never did that so I wouldn't know. All in all the pie was pretty goood and leftovers for breakfast- even better!