Relative Something

I have developed a new passion for black raspberry jam. Cyndie has been making the jam out of berries we are getting from all the plants on our property. We learned that the local term for these berries is “blackcaps.” I have always been a fan of raspberries, so liking the blackcaps is no stretch. The flavor of these is as deep as the color.

Cyndie cherishes the berries so much that when we were about to clear all the growth behind the barn, she stopped and went to get a baggie to save the ripe berries before we cut. Unfortunately, she then stowed the bag of berries in a bigger bag that was filled with our cutting tools, and by the time she got to the house, her baggie contained blackcap juice, not berries.

Lately, we have taken to applying her jam over the top of some regular cream cheese that we spread on bagels, toast, or any variety of crackers. It is a seriously delicious combination. It makes me hungry just writing about it.

The crop has been good this year, and we continue to find ripe berries, still. It seems like every day, more have ripened, so the harvest has been ongoing, daily. The plants have all grown up wild, along the edge of wooded areas. Cyndie has tied some of the bushes up in bunches, to make it easier to wander among them to pick the berries. But they are everywhere around the property, so wherever we go, there are berries to be picked.

I need to apologize, in advance, to those of you who would otherwise probably receive a jar of her blackcap jam as a gift in the coming days or months. I think I will have exhausted the supply before she ever gets the chance. It’s just that good!