They say, "Anything worth having is worth working for". I think that adage was created for the dangerous pursuit of the wild blackberry.

Free food is always fun, so when we stumbled upon a bramble of delicious black treats just ripe for the picking, we went into hunting mode.

I had never foraged for food like this before and my eagerness for all the juiciness blinded me to the hazards that this shrub harbored. As I reached for the reward, I was accosted by dozens of thorns whose grab actually frightened me. The elusive prey was protected fiercely and it was my mission to suffer through the 'slings and arrows' for the prize of a successful harvest.

I was the huntress and the bounty was a glistening bucket of fresh fruit. The scars of my efforts, numerous itchy punctures on both hands, dissipated quickly, while the blackberries lingered for days, making the hunt a great success.