Blackberries in the High Country

Apparently, one of the best ways to handle one's own procrastination is to tell everyone you are going to do something, the theory being that thereby you will set expectations on your good self and everyone else that you will deliver! Well, here goes: We are going to make Fruits of Strathmore High Country Blackberry Jam in 2022!

As part of the Victorian Mobile Landcare Group Inc, we do a lot of volunteer work in the Victorian High Country with our good friends at Parks Victoria Mt. Beauty Ranger Station. Over the years, we have seen a lot of blackberries in the West Kiewa River area as we did various landcare projects associated with the feral Sallow Willows, hut restoration, illegal hut removal and a few other projects that are starting to be "a long time ago".

Since we moved into the Fruits of Strathmore business, I have always wanted to get up there and just pick a tonne of those blackberries before they hit the ground. We can't do much about the spread of them - Parks Victoria has nowhere near the manpower or the budget to get on top of this scourge, but they are alpine blackberries and none of them have been sprayed or treated in any way. So, from a preserver's perspective, they are gold.

Our plans will see us up there for a short trip in late February with our VMLCG colleagues. We will dive off for a sortie and so expect to be cooking them up some time in April '22, I reckon. We will let you know progress and when we expect to have the bottles out there at the markets and online.