Life may be just a bowl of blackberries
By Mary Pannabecker Steiner
One of my brothers lives in the mountains of Virginia where he regularly picks a variety of wild berries on his runs up the mountainside and into the woods. This never really impressed me because I don't like blackberries and raspberries so why bother picking them?
Or at least that was my perspective until I heard Hank Shaw talk about hunting, fishing, and foraging your own food. Shaw, the author of "Hunt, Gather, Cook: Finding the Forgotten Feast", offers advice to anyone interested in taking a more active role in determining what they feed themselves and their families.
Ironically, during a recent run I was listening to Shaw's conversation on a Splendid Table podcast. A few minutes later, I stopped near a favorite rock to take a break. There, within an arm's reach, grew a rambling bush of wild blackberries.
I grabbed a few, shoved them in my shorts pocket for my husband and decided to return later in the week to pick more. The next day, the destructive derecho windstorm swept through our part of Ohio, replacing those visions of blackberries with downed ancient trees, power lines, and a week of struggling back to normality.
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Stories Posted This Week
Saturday, August 9, 2025
- Reminder of 1899 Depot move and refurbishment by Bluffton Sportsmen's Club
- JAMPD to retain Johnny Appleseed identity following poll
- Board of Elections lists November 2025 candidates for school board, township trustees and village council
- Bluffton chamber to host AI Lunch & Learn with Courtnee R. Morris
- Weekend Doctor: Family Estrangement on the Rise
Friday, August 8, 2025
Thursday, August 7, 2025
Wednesday, August 6, 2025
Tuesday, August 5, 2025
- Pirate soccer Annual Alumni Games on August 9
- Phase 1 fundraising goal reached for Legacy Park
- Bluffton Historical meeting is August 6
- Apollo Career Center high school students will eat for free this year
- July 2025 land transfers in the Bluffton School District
- Aug. 6 bridge repair will close I-75 ramp at Bluffton
- Allen County OSU Extension hosts Soil Health and Water Management event