Blackberry Pickin’ Time and My Grandma's Blackberry Dumplings

Tina Johnson
Aug 28
4 min read

What is blackberry picking time in the mountains? It is not just a time of year to pick blackberries, but a deeply ingrained feeling of joy and a sense of wonder that only springtime and summer in the mountains can bring. After a long, hard winter and having to stay indoors for months, the giddy excitement of Spring and Summer grips our hearts and our senses begin to awaken once again in Appalachia.

An AI-generated recreation of the place we often gathered blackberries in my childhood. Because blackberries are an early succession species, one of the first to grow after a disturbance, you can often find them along the edges of woods, old fields, fencerows, or roadsides for example. Image generated with Canva AI by Tina Johnson. — An AI-generated recreation of the place we often gathered blackberries in my childhood. Because blackberries are an early succession species, one of the first to grow after disturbance, you can find them along the edges of woods, old fields, or roadsides for example. Image generated with Canva AI by Tina Johnson.

It is a time of early morning dew glistening in the sunlight as it brings to life the cool feeling of anticipation of the new warmer seasons arriving. It is a time of adventure and excitement with walks in the deep woods of Kentucky. You can almost feel the anticipation in the air. It is a time of bare feet walking along the cool paths of the earth beneath and the feeling of memories and days of times past. It is a forever-connection to how it feels to grow up in the mountains.

A Tradition as Old as Time: Gathering Berries with Grandma

It is a time for visiting grandma’s house for the first batch of blackberry dumplings of the season. We could always find blackberries on the farm by the sides of the paths and fields we would walk through. Grandma always used fresh blackberries not store-bought. When it came time to make the dumplings we would take our containers, old bowls, mason jars or just whatever we could find to carry berries in and try not to eat all of them on our way back to grandma’s house. Oh, how those memories come flooding back. The smell of grandma’s kitchen as you hastily walk through the old screen door on the porch, that slamming, clacking sound, a sound which still echoes in the memory of my soul. The sweet smell of blackberries simmering in the old cooker pot - not sure any pot made these days can capture the feel, smell and taste of grandma’s faithful cooking pot.

A bowl of freshly picked blackberries being washed outdoors. Photo by Tina Johnson.

It was a time of family and friends gathering to have a blackberry dumpling feast and grandma. Oh how grandma would smile one of her smiles, the kind of smile that only she could smile, a smile full of warmth, love and joy for all her family to be gathered around, you could see the twinkle in her eye and the joy in her heart. These were the simple joys of being around grandma. All the kids could barely wait for granny to tell them it was time to eat. With a mad dash and pushing to see who could get their plate first and get it filled. And all the while grandma would smile and chuckle in the background and not just any laugh, but one that would light up her whole face and her whole body would vibrate with joy, pure joy. I miss the smiling face and twinkling eyes of my grandma, going into her kitchen to get a cool dipper full of the best tasting water in the mountains.

Majesty of and Memory in the Mountains: The Need to Conserve and Preserve Place-Based Knowledge

Ahh, to live in the mountains of Appalachia. A place and a feeling like no other. A place where the Grace of God settles on the people and the land they hold so dear. A place of deep harmony, being one with nature and knowing there is something special about living in the mountains, almost magical. So, what is blackberry pickin’ time? It is a time, a place, a feeling, a longing for the days of my youth and the pure joy and pride of being born and raised, deep in the heart of the Appalachian mountains.

When I was putting together this story about blackberry dumplings it kinda took on a life of its own. I started remembering grandma and all the times we spent together as a family in her home. Her blackberry dumplings just seem to stand out in my memories. I did not have a written recipe for her dumplings so I began reaching out to one of the elders in my family, and they were able to tell me the recipe from memory.

An AI-Generated recreation of grandma cooking with blackberries in her kitchen. Image generated with Canva AI by Tina Johnson.

Here is grandma’s recipe:

Start by collecting nice, ripe blackberries.
Make sure to wash berries. They can be used fresh off the vine or frozen for a later preparation time.
Use 1 part blackberries to 2 parts water with sugar, add sugar according to taste.
Boil mixture for around 15 minutes.
Add pieces of homemade biscuit dough then cook until dumplings are done.

If you still have your grandparents with you, go see them. Go and listen to their stories, write down grandma’s recipes for generations to come to have and to cherish. Go pick blackberries with your grandma and take plenty of pictures. I sure do miss my grandmother and all the love, time, energy and wisdom she gave us. Thank you grandma.