why blackberries?

original art by Sarah Hart

original art by Sarah Hart

Many places have their iconic crop.  In New Mexico, where I live, it’s the green chile.  In Iowa it’s corn; in Georgia, the peach; upstate New York, apples; in Orange County – well, duh.

And northern California?

Okay.  So blackberries may not be the first crop to come to mind when you think of Humboldt County.  For me, though, blackberries epitomize the place.  They are luscious and juicy and rich with flavor, and they spring up rampant and uncultivated along the wild margins of civilization.  You have to work a little to get to the best bushes, and you might get a little scratched up along the way.  But you know it will be worth it, because when that fat dark fruit squishes against your taste buds and floods you with everything that is good and sweet and real, it brings as well an edge of tartness that grounds you firmly in the here and now.

Wrecker, which comes out this February, is set in amid the giant trees of northern California’s magical Lost Coast.  That’s Humboldt County, mainly.  And a lot of the trips I’ve taken to Humboldt, both before and during writing Wrecker, have included encounters with wild blackberries.  A few have included encounters with that other iconic crop.  But the legal system frowns on that; and besides, this book is about something else.

It’s about the thorny path and sweet rewards of raising a kid.  It’s about love in a world where not everything is perfect – some mothers land in prison, some friends disappear into the woods – but where, in spite of its tendency to break your heart, love is the only thing that has a shot at saving you.

I’ve asked the friendly people at Mad River Farm to put together some special jars of wild Humboldt blackberry jam.  It’s an essential ingredient for the blackberry jam cake I’ll be serving at Wrecker readings and booksignings.  For every jar they sell, they make a donation to the Humboldt County Library (go, guys!).  If you’d like to get some for yourself, you can reach Marika at 707-822-0248, or go to their web page at www.mad-river-farm.com.  I’ll be sharing recipes in future posts.

Enjoy responsibly, as the beer ads say.  In this case, I think it means washing the jam off your hands before you touch any books.

What foods say “home” to you?


11 Responses to “why blackberries?”

  1. Sharon Says:
    August 25th, 2010 at 12:23 pm

    Thank you on the brief background on your new book, Summer. I look forward to getting my hands on a copy. Love northern CA and Humboldt County especially. Very nice that you and their library are working together so creatively to raise some much needed funds for all.

    Go forth and jam!

  2. Sharyn Dimmick Says:
    August 25th, 2010 at 3:58 pm

    Blackberries say summer to me here in the Bay Area. I will buy them, but prefer to pick the wild ones. You can’t care about the thorns if you care to get the best berries — look under the leaves for hidden clusters and don’t pull any that don’t plop in your hand: leave them for another day. Eat them in pie. Eat them in polenta. Eat them plain. Make blackberry shortcake. Make blackberry caramel. And then buy or make jam.

    Look forward to reading the new book.

  3. Summer Wood Says:
    August 26th, 2010 at 7:51 am

    Thanks, Sharon and Sharyn! In POLENTA? Cool! I’m going to try that.

  4. Deonne Kahler Says:
    August 26th, 2010 at 8:44 am

    I’m a California girl, so foods that mean home to me are avocados and steamed artichokes, both of which grew with abandon in our San Diego garden.

    I didn’t like avocados much at the time (the texture), and I ate the artichokes with Miracle Whip because I didn’t like mayonnaise. Thank God my tastes have matured toward avocado-lust and away from sweetened sandwich spread!

  5. Rob Toscano Says:
    October 7th, 2010 at 6:29 am

    I’m going to have to go with Apples, I grew up outside a Franciscan Fathers Monastery. On It they had a huge Goldfish pond their own tennis court, a Grape arbor and an Apple, Peach, and Pear Orchard. They also kept Bees. We had many an apple fight there, but mostly we ate apples all day all summer. I would get Green apple not ripe Tummy aches.

    Sorry about this late post.

  6. Leslie Says:
    October 19th, 2010 at 10:12 am

    I am reading a review copy of Wrecker and feel so blessed by your gift. This is a wonderful book. Thank you for writing it.

  7. Summer Wood Says:
    October 20th, 2010 at 6:32 am

    Leslie — you just made my day! Thanks for this.

    Rob — apples, yes. What a meaning-invested fruit. I live near an orchard and there’s nothing better than sitting beneath a bee-buzzing tree when the blossoms are full.

    Deonne, I don’t think I even tasted an avocado or an artichoke until I left home for college in California. All these years later, they still seem exotic (but delicious)!

  8. Tom Claffey Says:
    November 23rd, 2010 at 9:56 am

    Turkey n’ blackberry jam . . . Yum. Happy Thanksgiving, Summer!

    I am so looking forward to Wrecker arriving on the bookshelves.

    All best,

    Tom

  9. Summer Wood Says:
    November 23rd, 2010 at 7:17 pm

    Thanks, Tom! And Happy Thanksgiving back at ya — and to all my loyal Where of It readers. I promise something new, soon. Meanwhile, enjoy turkey and family and friends wherever this holiday finds you.

  10. Tristi Pinkston Says:
    January 11th, 2011 at 11:01 am

    My mouth is watering after reading your description … I love blackberries!

  11. Jewel Allen Says:
    February 17th, 2011 at 10:22 am

    Loved your post on GLA. Congratulations on your new book!

    I grew up in the Philippines, and to me the food that says “home” is corn on the cob, chocolate truffles in a bakery case, and mom’s cooking. Where we lived, you could buy corn on the cob from a street vendor who pushed a cart up and down the street with corn still in husk hot water. When I think of the hygiene-issues I shudder, but as a little girl, there was nothing better in the world than eating hot corn on the cob. The truffles…after school my girlfriends and I would stop at a bakery near school before catching a jeepney. Gosh, now I am homesick :-) .

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