So much about going to the mountain is maintenance. My Beloved and I cleared the path to Canada (the end looks towards Canada) with the tractor and the clippers. I am horrible! If I think it is going to hit me in the head, it comes down! Including any berries. I clipped back huckleberries.
Since we have cleared out trees to make room for the possibilities of gardens, we are actually getting berries now. Mountain berries crawl over things. The seem to get no higher then knee high and have the tiniest blackberries on the brambles. But the flavor so good! I usually think blackberries need sugar because they are a bit tart. I find the invasive Himalayan blackberries are tart like that. Or store bought strawberries. These are berries that make your teeth hurt because they are so sweet.
The blackberries were what was most ripe. But there were also salmon berries, a few huckleberries, and a few thimble berries. We picked for a couple three hours and came away with about 3 quarts of berries. There was no way they would have travled well cross country. The thimble berries and salmon berries all but crush in your fingers when they are ripe. Even in the Yeti container I was picking into they would not have made it. I made jam at my parents with the berries.
2 cups of washed picked clean berries to 1 cup sugar. Bring to a simmer and let cook until a bit of juice slowly runs down a plate. I take my finger nail through it and see if it stays where it is put. If it does, the jam is done. I
bought a sourdough French from one of the bakeries I like it Bellingham. With butter, that just makes breakfast so good. I had to make a loaf of French bread when I got home. The only negative is that I am still not on the mountain. I would be picking berries every day and making jam. 25 pounds of sugar back in my life. But I have little bit of mountain with me until it is gone. 1 and 1/2 quarts of jam.
And more memories of sunsets.