Why Blackberries are Bad for Your Taxes
I went to Northern California recently on a business trip. I got too much done. Meetings, work sessions, proposals, emails, conference calls, and a few very memorable dinners. Four cities in just as many days. Before returning to San Francisco, I stayed with a friend in a small town up north. One sunny morning I decided to explore the area, so I asked her what there is to do. Knowing me, she told me there’s a nice walking trail. I could walk there or drive. Well that was a no-brainer, of course I’d walk.
But I got thrown totally off track. What I expected to be a calm, relaxing, reflective stroll beneath California oaks, turned into a passionate, ecstatic, breathless plunge into excesses the likes of which I hadn’t experienced in years. It took my breath away, melted all self-control, and spun my world halfway round.
Oh, shame on you for thinking naughty thoughts. It wasn’t the Adonis of the Litoral I encountered on the path (sorry gals… !) It was an unassuming blackberry sprig. Peeking out from the dried grasses along the edge of the path. Winking at me in the sun. I winked back, then looked around. Is it legal to pick a blackberry here? I walked past it, choosing planetary well-being over my own base desires. That’s probably the only blackberry sprig on this trail, and how awful would it be if I picked it rather than leave it for the birds or animals trying to earn an honest local living.
This recipe is an inexpensive, seasonal treat that’s almost too good to be true. From 
, we get a sumptuous, healthy, seasonal, local, organic dessert that also encourages the removal of an invasive species. For the green gourmand, could life get any better?
