Totally Texas -- How to tame a wild berry

The June 2014 copy of Country Living magazine arrived in my mailbox this week, with a front page feature on ice cream. (And gelato and frozen yogurt, but to the boys they’re all “ice cream.” They’ll go to a yogurt store and ask for ice cream, not meaning any disrespect.)

And I remembered my ice cream maker, which has languished too long. Because, really, nothing’s better than ice cream (or gelato, etc.) you’ve made yourself. And nothing, absolutely nothing’s better than homemade ice cream with summer’s fresh fruit. And do I even need to say that no fruit’s better than that you’ve picked with your own juice-stained hands?

The boys were still in school, so I made the trip by myself this week to the pick-you-own blackberry patch at Ham Orchards in Terrell. It was filled with families whose kids were already out of school.

Ham Orchards’ blackberries are far more civilized that the berry bushes I remembered from my own childhood. Modern pick-your-own blackberry farmers train their berries on trellises to make the berries easier to find and minimize thorns. I still suggest some degree of protective clothing--closed toe shoes, long sleeves, and hats. Hats not just as sunshades but as armor against loose branches, like the one that entangled itself in my hair.

Some pickers suggested gloves. Be sure they’re washable!

Ham Orchards, also famous for its peaches, has plenty of produce in stock in its on-site store, including blackberries. It’s located at 11939 County Road 309, three miles east of Terrell. Follow the signs on I-20 and I-80 east from Dallas. It’s open until mid-August, 9 a.m. - 5 p.m. Monday through Saturday, but by the end of June, the blackberries will be gone for another year. See the website, www.hamorchards.com, for prices and information about its store and open-air restaurant. I’ve also found its Facebook page helpful for daily updates on produce.

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In East Texas, Blueberry Hill Farms in Canton also reports blackberries ready to pick, with blueberries not expected until early July. It’s currently open Friday through Sunday, 7 a.m. - 5 p.m. The website is
http://blueberryhillfarms.com/, but also see its Facebook page.

Sad to say, the Duck Creek Blackberry Farm in Sanger reports berries very sparse due to a mid-April freeze. See www.duckcreekblackberries.com or Facebook for updates.

And for something not entirely different, the Savannah’s Meadow pick-your-own lavender farm in Celeste is open Saturdays and Sundays this month from 9 a.m. - 3 p.m. It hosts a lavender festival next Saturday, June 14. See www.savannahsmeadowllc.com/, for information. Lavender ice cream, anybody?

Totally Texas -- It's the berries!

It was during the usual morning multi-tasking when a TV commercial for something or other with “real fruit flavors” caught my ear. Fruit flavors? How about real, actual fruit my family can pick ourselves?

With the boys still in school, my daughter and I headed toward Terrell and Ham Orchards for some blackberry picking.

For those of you, like me, who grew up in the country, picking these delectable early summer berries may be synonymous with copious blood loss from thorns, sunstroke, and the ever-present danger of stepping in something cows left behind. But it doesn’t have to be that way.

Ham Orchards are locally famous for peaches, but they also treat their blackberries with respect. Bushes are neatly trellised to maximize berry yield, minimize thorniness. Landscape fabric between the spacious rows keeps down the mud, even after rains like this week’s.

The pick-you-own field is only steps away from a covered fan-cooled pavilion where we fortified ourselves with sandwiches and soft drinks. And from a farmer’s market store with fresh produce (including peaches the boys ended up eating like candy), baked goods, preserves, and possibly the world’s best fudge. (Free samples!)

Although we picked a pound of berries, the helpful staff at the store told us we were a little early for the berry season, expected to be in full swing this Saturday, June 8. The store also has already-picked berries, if we’d wanted to fake our berrying prowess. But hurry -- the pick your own season only lasts through June.

Ham Orchards are open now through August 15, Monday through Saturday, from 9 a.m. to 5 p.m., closed Sundays. They’re located at the intersection of U.S. Highway 80 and County Road 309, about four miles east of Terrell, with a big sign outside. You really can’t miss it, but for more information see http://hamorchard.com/.

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For more berries, keep driving east, take the Highway 64 exit, through Canton, and follow the signs to Blueberry Hill Farms near Edom for both black and blue berries. My New Englander son-in-law’s stories about picking wild blueberries rival my stories about blackberries. But blueberries really can grow in East Texas.

The berry season at Blueberry Hill Farms begins this Saturday also, and runs through July, depending on weather. The farms’ blueberries grow on deep sand, eliminating the nuisance of muddy feet. The upright bushes are thorn-free.

The boys were fascinated when we visited Blueberry Hill last summer. And when they tired of picking, we adjourned to the air-conditioned store for some already picked berries and a blueberry pie, just in time for supper.

Blueberry Hill is open daily June through July, including Father’s Day and the Fourth of July, 7 a.m. through 5 p.m. For directions and additional information, see
www.blueberryhillfarms.com/.