LITTLE ROCK RIVER MARKET

[Waldo]

Made a run early this morning to The Home of the Country Wine Makers Heaven aka Little Rock River Market in search of the right Blackberries for my "Black Widow Blackberry" wine I am wanting to make. I do love this place and thought some of you might enjoy seeing the photos.

I found only one seller that had the quality of Blackberries I was looking for and she had only 9 quarts left so these were washed and went to the freezer to await enough to make a good 6 gallon batch.

Edited by: Waldo

 

[swillologist]

Looks like you hit the blackberry jackpot waldo. Nice looking berries. Only way they could be better if they had been resting in a bottle for a year or so.

 

[Waldo]

Just a small jackpot swill.......Most of the berries there I tasted were very acidic and had a lack of thatrich blackberry favor I was in search of. At $6.00 per quart I wasn't going to get something I did not feel would made a good quality wine.Edited by: Waldo

 

[NorthernWinos]

WOW!!! What nice looking produce...some were most interesting....Like the multicolored tomatoes....the breads and flowers were very nice too.


$6 per quart...that's going to be some valuable wine. How are your own Blackberries coming??? Hope you get to add some of your own in the batch too.


Thanks for sharing the photos...nice to take a walk with you ...You must have been pretty early as the crowds weren't too bad.

 

[grapeman]

Ouch, $6 a quart! I would want good ones too! I saw your excitement when you spotted that whole table of berries. You were so excited the camera was a shakin.

I went over to my sisters place next door last evening. They were gone to their camp on the lake for the weekend so I looked around at their garden. He grows quite a few raspberries(3 rows 75 feet or so long and 4 feet wide). They are just covered with oodles of berries the size of nickels and bigger. I would say in another day he could pick 50 quarts of them. I see more raspberry wine in his future and if I'm lucky I can get some of the extra berries since they need picking every couple days.

 

[jobe05]

Looks like a great place Waldo. I like going to the farmers market this time of year to browse for the things that I don't grow. I know you came home with some green tomato's, I love fried green tomato's! Also try fried cucumber, their not bad either.

Isn't there any place there where you can pick your owne Blackberries? A friend and I have been picking everyday for the past couple of weeks and as of yesturday, we now have somewhere in the neighborhood of 140 pounds of Blackberries in my freezer. I weighed each freezer bag as I put them in the freezer. Later I will pull them out and tally them up and post a pic.

 

[Joanie]

Waldo, those berries look good enough to...uh...drink!

Blackcap pudding might be tasty too!

 

[NorthernWinos]

WOW!!!!....some of you guys have such great sources of berries....I have been picking my own raspberries for awhile now....have about 35# in the freezer...get about 5-6 pounds a day....slow going compared to some you guys.


My girlfriend stopped at a U-Pick Strawberry place and bought Raspberries...3 pints for $10..."Owch" ....Theowners won't let people do U-Pick on the Raspberries...The clusters are so brittle on mine that they can easily be broken off if you are not careful picking.


I would love to grow some Blackberries or Black Raspberries....maybe try some next year...they have some for Zone 4 might be worth a try.

 

[Wade E]

I have about 9 lbs. of Raspberries from my parents garden as they dont
pick any anymore nor do they really use their garden a but I wasnt
about to let them go. Waldo those berries look awesome and Im sure
youll eventually get enough but you might have to get there a little
earlier.

 

[Waldo]

WOW!!! What nice looking produce...some were most interesting....Like the multicolored tomatoes....the breads and flowers were very nice too.


$6 per quart...that's going to be some valuable wine. How are your own Blackberries coming??? Hope you get to add some of your own in the batch too.


Thanks for sharing the photos...nice to take a walk with you ...You must have been pretty early as the crowds weren't too bad.

So far NW I have gathered 6 berries off my vines, thus my quest for enough to make a good batch. All of the blackberries in our area were hit hard by that late cold snap. I love going to the market though and just looking around and trying to do a little haggling. Most time it will work if you are buying in quantity but no one was budging on the blackberries or blueberries. I was there by 6am and if you get there much later you will have to park 3-4 blocks away.

 

[Waldo]

Ouch, $6 a quart! I would want good ones too! I saw your excitement when you spotted that whole table of berries. You were so excited the camera was a shakin.

I went over to my sisters place next door last evening. They were gone to their camp on the lake for the weekend so I looked around at their garden. He grows quite a few raspberries(3 rows 75 feet or so long and 4 feet wide). They are just covered with oodles of berries the size of nickels and bigger. I would say in another day he could pick 50 quarts of them. I see more raspberry wine in his future and if I'm lucky I can get some of the extra berries since they need picking every couple days.

I thought I had hit the mother lode appleman but they were sorry so I pasasewd on them. Would love to have about 2 gallons of rasberries myself.

 

[Waldo]

Looks like a great place Waldo. I like going to the farmers market this time of year to browse for the things that I don't grow. I know you came home with some green tomato's, I love fried green tomato's! Also try fried cucumber, their not bad either.

Isn't there any place there where you can pick your owne Blackberries? A friend and I have been picking everyday for the past couple of weeks and as of yesturday, we now have somewhere in the neighborhood of 140 pounds of Blackberries in my freezer. I weighed each freezer bag as I put them in the freezer. Later I will pull them out and tally them up and post a pic.

Your a lucky man jobe. All the berry crops around here were hit hard byu the late cold snap and they are scarcer than hens teeth. All those at the market from were from northeast of here and their quality was poor.

 

[Waldo]

Waldo, those berries look good enough to...uh...drink!

Blackcap pudding might be tasty too!

OK Joan....I'll bite.......What is Blackcap Pudding?

 

[Waldo]

I have about 9 lbs. of Raspberries from my parents garden as they dont pick any anymore nor do they really use their garden a but I wasnt about to let them go. Waldo those berries look awesome and Im sure youll eventually get enough but you might have to get there a little earlier.

If I got there much earlier Wade i would be the only one there !!!

 

[PolishWineP]

Looks like you had a good time there, Waldo!

 

[Waldo]

Indeed I did PWP...Just wish I could have scored better on the Blackberies

 

[Joanie]

Waldo, those berries look good enough to...uh...drink!

Black Cap pudding might be tasty too!

OK Joan....I'll bite.......What is Black Cap Pudding?

My sister-in-law always made it. She'd send the kids out to pick a bunch of black cap raspberries and she would make a cake like batter, fold in the black caps and bake. When it was still warm from the oven, she would poke holes in each serving and pour heavy cream over it. Heavenly!
Edited by: Joan

 

[Waldo]

Sounds yummy........can you get us the recipe?

 

[rgecaprock]

Waldo, you are getting lots of practice with your new camera. Great pictures you have taken and perfect produce you have to choose from too.


Ramona

 

[Joanie]

I don't have the recipe but if you just made a yellow cake and fold in the black caps, you'd be good to go!