The field behind our house is full of wild blackberry bushes. The brambles rise up to the light, full of red berries and the ripened blackberries. My mouth is watering just thinking about it. We have 12 acres, and nearly every where you look there are blackberry bushes. Some are surrounded by poison ivy, some right along the trails that are cut through the thick underbrush, and some just waving in the breeze among the high grass. You'd think we would have so many blackberries, we'd be sick of them. Maybe we could pick so many of them we could sell them at the Farmers Market. You'd think and you'd be wrong. Those blackberries are very sought after, and not just by us, but by the animals that live in the field. We are nestled at the base of a mountain, altitude about 2400 feet above sea level.
While we do not live IN the mountain, we have a plethora of wild animals to compete with for the blackberries. One of which is a fat, black bear. That's right, a bear. He lives in the field behind our house, periodically breaking into our trash cans to have a feast. Last year were able to only pick one small bowl of blackberries before he grumped at us, causing us to beat a hasty retreat. This year, I was determined I would get more than one bowl. If we don't pick them as soon as they turn black, the bear, deer, skunks, raccoons, possum, squirrels and a variety of birds will pick the vines clean. I was able to pick the berries 2 times. I got enough to freeze, which is wonderful, although I doubt they'll make it to the winter because of our love of cobbler. A few weeks ago, when the red berries were turning black, a friend went to pick some berries. He has been in the country his whole life of 72 years, and armed with 4 wheeler and a pistol (to scare, not harm, the bear) he went into the field. A short time later, he came back out. He said he was picking berries and heard something following him in the bushes. He looked down at one point and saw a pile of bear poo. Jumping on the 4 wheeler, clutching his prize of berries he came back to the house. Having admitted he was scared of the bear he thanked me for the berries and left. I decided I best not go pick anymore either. Once the berries are scarce, the bear might be a little less fearful and more aggressive since his winter survival would be in question. 
This is a picture of a Mama bear and her cub that frequent my Dad's property. She is a black bear, the same as the bear who occupies the field. As my child would say, "Cute, but not cuddly." I should say so! Nonetheless, I managed to get some delicious, fresh blackberries and made a fantastic Blackberry cobbler. I made a video of the process. Trying something new on my blog. Hope you enjoy it!
Old Fashioned Blackberry Cobbler
1/2 stick organic butter
1 cup organic milk
1 cup organic flour
3/4 cup organic sugar
1/2 cup brown sugar
1 organic egg
1 tsp vanilla extract
Blackberries (or any other fruit you like)
Pre-heat oven to 350 F
Place 1/2 stick of butter in 2 8x8 Cobbler pans (or 1 stick in 12x12 pan) and put in the oven as it pre-heats
Take out when the butter has melted and slightly browned
Take pan out of the oven and sprinkle the brown sugar all around the pan, especially the edges
In a seperate bowl mix the rest of the ingredients and pour into the pan, on top of the butter and brown sugar.
Drop blackberries (as many/little) on top of the batter
Return the pan to the oven and bake 45 minutes or until golden brown and bubbly
Serve warm with a scoop of organic chocolate ice-cream
Note: You can use non-organic ingredients and the egg is optional, you can also adjust the sugar to your liking.
To make a larger pan, just double the ingredients.
If you'd like you can add a tsp of baking powder and a pinch of salt, this will make the batter rise more.
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