Blackberries, a staple fruit of our region, are coming in fast in this heat. They are healthy, delicious when eating raw, and make excellent jam that can be stored, when canned, for years.

There are two major kinds of blackberries. One, the wilder kind, is thorned and the canes produce fruit in the second year of their life, and the fruit is delicious. The other, a cultivar, has much less or no thorns, the canes produce fruit the first year with a bit later season during the summer, and even the fruit is a bit larger, but somehow has a different, in my experience, waterier taste with a more rubbery texture.

This is the season for the first kind. Picking, jam-making and canning takes more time than two hours, so we will meet twice one weekend to be able to do both jobs. If you would like to attend both, one or the other it is all fine.

So on July 21st (the 3rd Saturday in July) we will meet at 44 Beston street (Gabor’s) from 3 to 5 pm to pick berries. You can also pick them around town, as they are well spread in this area.

On July 22nd we will gather at the same place to make jam and can the berries at 3:30pm (we don’t want to interfere with another interesting program of Transition Amherst: the Mid-summer Edible Mushroom Foraging — see more about it on in our calendar, that is to go until 3pm.

Both days we will go as long as necessary to accomplish all that needs to be done. Bring a small canning jar with lid if you would like some jam to take home (canned or not).

As usual the workshops are free of charge: you may donate Transition Amherst if you appreciate our Movie nights, Outings and Reskilling workshops.