Today in the orchard
First Black Berries, August 4, 2025
Raspberry season is winding down, and blackberry season is about to ramp up. The blackberries love it here on the farm, especially out in our wild, Jurassic “BRC” orchard where we allow them to (mostly) do their thing. We do cut them back though you might not know if you were out there today. These are the native, unselected canes. All the named cultivars we’ve tried over the years have flopped here at “Super Chilly.” They died to the ground every winter and—if they came back at all—come back as creepy-crawly, thorny, unproductive vines. The native blackberries are vigorous and incredibly productive. The fruit is not large so picking takes more time, but they are worth the effort. They’re delicious fresh, and they freeze well. We’ll be picking a lot of berries the next few weeks.
