Letter to the Editor
The Jimplicute, Scott City, MO 63754
Thursday, August 25
Dear Editor:
The
blackberry season has come and gone, but it brings back memories of a blackberry picking in July 1905 when the
town Fornfelt (Scott City) was called Edna.
Blackberry bushes grew everywhere.
All around town within walking distance you could pick enough berries
for a pie. The favorite spot was a lane
that led to the Krieger farm.
The
weather had been just right that year for the blackberries to grow big and sweet. Almost everyone liked blackberries in pies,
jelly or preserves.
In
my neighborhood, my mother had been talking to the other women there about
going blackberry picking somewhere. One
woman said, �We can�t go to the Krieger lane as there would not be enough
berries for all of us.�
A
man sitting on his porch, heard the women talking, and he wanted to help, so he
offered his team of mules and wagon to go where they could find the
berries. He could not make the trip, so
he said they would have to find a driver.
None of the women wanted to do the driving. I spoke up and said I would do the driving.
I
became the driver. The women, wearing
bonnets, sat down on the floor of the wagon.
I had to stand up to drive. The
mules were old and did not want to move.
Finally, they did go but very slowly.l
We went down the quiet back roads and found plenty of berries. It was a hot and very slow trip but we all
had fun.
We
had picked so many berries that after all the pies, there were plenty of
berries for jelly and preserves. Some
of the women did not know much about jelly making but they tried.
I
remember that although my mother was excellent at making jelly, she had more
berries than she really wanted that time.
Her friend just doubled over as she watched my mother make more and more
jelly to use up all the berries she had picked.
Edna
Drexler
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