My mother was a farm wife and a prodigious canner. She canned fruit and vegetables from the garden, even occasionally meat. But the best thing that she canned, in my opinion, was blackberry jam. Even as I type those words my mouth waters! Of course, before she could make that jam, somebody had to pick the blackberries. And that somebody was quite often named Dorothy. I think Seamus Heaney might have spent some time among the briars plucking those delicious black fruits as well, so he would have known that "Once off the bush the fruit fermented, the sweet flesh would turn sour." They don't keep; you have to get that jam made in a hurry! Blackberry-Picking by Seamus Heaney Late August, given heavy rain and sun For a full week, the blackberries would ripen. At first, just one, a glossy purple clot Among others, red, green, hard as a knot. You ate that first one and its flesh was sweet Like thickened wine: summer's blood was in it Leaving stains upon the tongue and lust ...
YeeHaw!
ReplyDeleteI ordered some bearded iris ... probably a big mistake, but I thought I'd give them one more go. I think I found a reasonably dry spot! I really caught the iris bug when my Louisiana iris bloomed! Wish me luck!
Good luck! I look forward to hearing of your success. I would love to try them again, too. Maybe if you succeed, it will give me the courage to do it!
DeleteI shared the "May the Fourth" pun with my walking friend, who is an expert punner. To my delight, she had never heard of it and she got it right away. (I had to read it a couple of times the first time I ever saw it - I am not quick witted when it comes to puns.)
ReplyDeleteI love that "May the Fourth" is now an unofficial Star Wars holiday - only right for a franchise that has had such an impact on our culture, don't you think?
Delete