So there I was, ten years old, exploring down by the river and picking wild blackberries off the prickly vines. My little brother’s smiling face all covered in a purple hue as we sat on the bank and wiggled our toes in the sandy bed. We laughed and ate berries until our bellies ached and then just as the sun was starting to disappear behind the mountains, I heard my mother calling off in the distance, “Boys! Supper’s ready!”
At that moment, I woke up and realized that I had been dreaming about one of my favorite childhood summer memories. Or was it just a dream? As I lay in bed, basking in the glow of this happy nocturnal illusion, I felt as if I was being directed by the universe to begin a quest to rediscover the joys of my youth.
I leapt out of bed and proceeded to consult the oracle of all human wisdom and the repository for all of man’s knowledge; YouTube. That’s where I found an interesting dude who calls himself “the survival doc”. As opposed to building underground bomb shelters or stockpiling large weapon caches, the survival doc has decided that the way to fend off the zombie apocalypse is organic gardening. His viewpoint is that when (not if) our infrastructure breaks down, he will have a safe and healthy food supply.
What I learned is that blackberries are the perfect end of times fruit. They will grow in poor soil, are disease free and require no fertilizer. All you need is a spot that gets plenty of sunlight and access to a good supply of freshwater. The best part is that if you plant them in the spring, you’ll be harvesting fresh berries all summer long.
Blackberries can be eaten fresh or made into jams, juices, desserts and even wine. In addition to being rich in vitamins, minerals, antioxidants and fiber, they are also low in calories, carbohydrates and fat, making them one of the best fruits out there for maintaining a healthy diet. They are even one of the highest listed fruits on the ORAC (Oxygen Radical Absorption Capacity) scale, which lists the top cancer fighting foods.
At that moment, I woke up and realized that I had been dreaming about one of my favorite childhood summer memories. Or was it just a dream? As I lay in bed, basking in the glow of this happy nocturnal illusion, I felt as if I was being directed by the universe to begin a quest to rediscover the joys of my youth.
I leapt out of bed and proceeded to consult the oracle of all human wisdom and the repository for all of man’s knowledge; YouTube. That’s where I found an interesting dude who calls himself “the survival doc”. As opposed to building underground bomb shelters or stockpiling large weapon caches, the survival doc has decided that the way to fend off the zombie apocalypse is organic gardening. His viewpoint is that when (not if) our infrastructure breaks down, he will have a safe and healthy food supply.
What I learned is that blackberries are the perfect end of times fruit. They will grow in poor soil, are disease free and require no fertilizer. All you need is a spot that gets plenty of sunlight and access to a good supply of freshwater. The best part is that if you plant them in the spring, you’ll be harvesting fresh berries all summer long.
Blackberries can be eaten fresh or made into jams, juices, desserts and even wine. In addition to being rich in vitamins, minerals, antioxidants and fiber, they are also low in calories, carbohydrates and fat, making them one of the best fruits out there for maintaining a healthy diet. They are even one of the highest listed fruits on the ORAC (Oxygen Radical Absorption Capacity) scale, which lists the top cancer fighting foods.
After I finished up my research, I called my neighbor and local freelance botanist, Capt. Kirk Kirkland, to enlighten him as to my divine inspiration and new found purpose. He said “I don’t know about all that Holy Moly Mumbo Jumbo, but if you’re talking about diggin’ in the dirt, then I’m in”, so we loaded up his pickup truck with rakes, shovels and other implements of destruction and headed off to Home Depot.
When we got back to the beach with our blackberry vines and a whole bunch of bags of soil, we staked out our plot of prime agricultural land to be transformed into the Ocean View Community Garden. What we didn’t know is that just about an inch below the layer of top soil sat large boulders obviously left behind from the construction of the breakwater. We did not let this setback deter us from our mission and after about an hour of quiet contemplation, we decided to tie a rope around each rock and the other end to Kirk’s truck and yank the damn things out. Oddly enough, this strategy worked and now we have a beautiful garden encircled by stone.
It’s going to be a Berry Dudely Summer, Dudes.
When we got back to the beach with our blackberry vines and a whole bunch of bags of soil, we staked out our plot of prime agricultural land to be transformed into the Ocean View Community Garden. What we didn’t know is that just about an inch below the layer of top soil sat large boulders obviously left behind from the construction of the breakwater. We did not let this setback deter us from our mission and after about an hour of quiet contemplation, we decided to tie a rope around each rock and the other end to Kirk’s truck and yank the damn things out. Oddly enough, this strategy worked and now we have a beautiful garden encircled by stone.
It’s going to be a Berry Dudely Summer, Dudes.
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