SeeCalifornia.com

If you’re a fan of the California blackberry (Rubus ursinus) which grows abundantly in Calfornia, Washington, Oregon, Idaho, Montana, British Columbia and Baja California, this weekend the annual Round Valley Blackberry Festival in Covelo, Calif. celebrates the beloved fruit on August 22 & 23 with berry tastes for all to enjoy.  Not limited to deserts and berry pies, you’ll find blackberries used in beverages such as smoothies and shakes, plus wine, brandy, port and liqueur. Though blackberries have been a food source for humans for thousands of years, their popularity has doubled during the last decade. The greatest recent expansion in blackberry production for fresh consumption across the United States and Europe has been in California and Mexico. This expansion has been driven by factors like a stable blackberry supply in most or all months of the year, made up of cultivars that allow shipping to distant markets. While the fresh blackberry industry expanded rapidly in California in the 1990s, it exploded in Mexico in the 2000s. Blackberries are chock full of nutrients and offer health benefits.