I have this amazing little black raspberry bush in my front yard.  Also known as black caps, these berries grow wild seemingly everywhere including the nature trail close to where I live.

It seems this black cap bush likes the Rose of Sharon that it is intertwined with.  I am not totally sure how the Rose of Sharon feels about it, but the raspberry bush is using it as a trellis of sorts.  I should probably just break down next year and build a trellis for the bush to grow into.  It would certainly make my life a lot easier when it came to picking the berries.

This bush seems to grow and spread every year, producing more and more berries as well.  This year once again I have more than I can use and have resorted to freezing them, giving them away and even having the neighbors come over to pick while I was away for a couple of days.

These things need to be picked just about every day when they start becoming ripe.  I have been picking for six days now and it looks like there are a few more days left to go.

I have another blackberry/blackcap patch out behind the house that I have been watching for three years.  Its berry production is almost non-existent.  It is hard to say if it is the soil or the lack of sunlight or some other factor I am not aware of.  I keep hoping.

In the meantime, I am headed back outside to get my arms all scratched up harvesting my favorite berries, far better than anything you could imagine available at the store.  If you stop buy I’ll put you to work.  There are plenty to go around.

Black Caps ripening in the middle of the Rose of Sharon