Last year the prickly pear cactus on my trails had lots of fruit and my person decided to get brave and pick some and make things that were good to eat.
This year the prickly pear only had a few puny flowers so I don’t think there’s going to be much fruit.
.
.
.
But the Manzanita bushes are loaded with berries.
And my person decided she was going to experiment with those this year.
Of course she didn’t ask me first. Most of those berries are really little and it took a long time to pick enough to do anything with.
Hey person, all the best berries are in here.
I tried to help, but my person told me to sit and be quiet.
We picked up a hitchhiker while my person was picking.
Finally my person was ready to head home.
I got accused of getting her backpack wet.
I’m always getting blamed for things and this time I couldn’t even put the blame on Scratchy.
It turned out my person had a leaky water bottle.
Whew! Off the hook that time.
When we got home I still had to sit and be quiet. My person wasn’t finished with those berries.
Finally, the finished product.
I may have gotten off the hook for getting my person’s backpack wet, but I sure hope I don’t get accused of watering the inside of that jar.
bongodogblog 
dianeskitchentable
June 28, 2013 at 10:55 am
Poor Bongo, always getting blamed for one thing or another. Now since I’ve never heard of these berries, what exactly is that in the bottle?
Bongo
June 28, 2013 at 9:50 pm
Lola and Diane, it’s really berry cider in the bottle. She poured boiling water on the berries, soaked them, crushed them, let them sit overnight, and ran the cider through cheesecloth to get out all the berry residue. She says it tastes kind of strange, but it’s not too bad if you sweeten it a little. I think she might try making ice cream with some of the cider next. I hope.
What's Going on at Mumsy's
June 28, 2013 at 12:38 pm
Oh, poor Bongo we knew you couldn’t have been the one to wet the backpack. Is that juice extracted from those berries? It is the perfect color of something you could be blamed for but if that happens…remind your person you have no thumbs so you couldn’t get that lid on and off the jar. Hugs and nose kisses sweet Bongo!
Bongo
June 28, 2013 at 9:52 pm
Chancy and Mumsy, I actually didn’t get blamed for the stuff in the jar. It is from the berries, but they’re really dry and don’t have much juice so there’s a lot of water added.
susank456
June 28, 2013 at 12:54 pm
I’m curious, what did you do with the berries and what is the liquid?
Bongo
June 28, 2013 at 9:54 pm
Susan, my person found out how to make manzanita cider from this website. http://honest-food.net/2010/08/22/manzanita-cider/ The liquid comes from soaking the berries in water and then straining the berries out of it.
Two French Bulldogs
June 28, 2013 at 1:13 pm
Holy berry head! Those are a lot of fruits
Benny & Lily
Bongo
June 28, 2013 at 9:55 pm
Benny & Lily, it seemed like my person was picking berries forever to get that many. There are still tons more on my trails.
Gizmo
June 28, 2013 at 2:11 pm
Berry picking is a long slow process Bongo…I helped Momz pick blueberries and it took furever…so what did your mom make there? Is it Manzanita tea? I never knew the berries were edible
Bongo
June 28, 2013 at 9:59 pm
Gizmo, my person says she likes picking raspberries better because it goes faster, but raspberries don’t grow much around here because it’s too dry. My person looked on the web and found out the berries are edible but they don’t taste good so she found a recipe for manzanita cider – or you could call it tea. You steep the berries in boiling water and leave them overnight and then strain off the berries.
Genevieve Petrillo
June 28, 2013 at 3:11 pm
Berry iced tea?
Bongo
June 28, 2013 at 10:00 pm
Cupcake, that’s what it is for sure. My person says she’s having to get used to the taste though.
philosophermouseofthehedge
June 28, 2013 at 3:20 pm
Bongo – just don’t get near that jar. It’s so hard to be patient all day long. Maybe you’ll get some extra loves now that that’s berry done?
Bongo
June 28, 2013 at 10:01 pm
Karen, I’m hoping my person will find something better to pick next time. There’s got to be some dog treat trees around here somewhere.
marina kanavaki
June 28, 2013 at 3:57 pm
Hmm, this looks like a nutritious and healthy drink, but I don’t know what it is!
🙂 Did you get to taste any of those berries?
Bongo
June 28, 2013 at 10:01 pm
Marina, those berries don’t smell like anything I’d want to eat so I didn’t even try. I’m still holding out for the fish.
eripanwkevin
June 28, 2013 at 6:22 pm
I’m very interested in that how those berries do taste….the color looks like honey, but probably doesn’t taste the same, does it? You’re very good boy to have let your person where she could pick up those all the best berries a lot! 🙂
Bongo
June 28, 2013 at 10:04 pm
Kevin, my person says that berry drink tastes kind of strange and she’s not sure how to describe it. Sort of a woodsy flavor. She’s having to get used to it. She doesn’t usually sweeten her drinks but she says this is much better sweetened. I think the berries by themselves are supposed to taste really bad. We didn’t try them.
Misty Shores Chesapeakes
June 28, 2013 at 7:57 pm
Are those sweet berries? Looks like nectar in a jar!
Bongo
June 28, 2013 at 10:08 pm
Misty Shores, my person read that the berries are full of tannin, and taste really bitter. We didn’t try them. The juice my person made needs to be sweetened before it tastes okay. She had to add a lot of water to make the juice because the berries are really dry on their own.
kolytyi
June 30, 2013 at 7:04 am
Berry honey? Is it sweet? If you knock it down with your tail (by chance, of course), you can blame Scratchy!
Bongo
June 30, 2013 at 1:41 pm
Kolytyi, it’s not sweet on its own. My person has to put sweetener in it before it tastes good. But I’ll make sure to blame Scratchy if I knock it over. Sometimes he gets on the counter and knocks things off.
angelswhisper2011
July 1, 2013 at 2:41 pm
I think it’s delicious and healthy 🙂
Bongo
July 1, 2013 at 3:09 pm
Little Binky, my person made ice cream with it too. That was the best.
colliesofthemeadow
July 14, 2013 at 6:37 am
THose look good. Branwen used to eat wild berries on our collie walks. Now she just waits for us to pick them and give them to her….
Bongo
July 14, 2013 at 4:20 pm
Collies and Chuck, those berries look better than they taste – but the cider made out of them was pretty good.