... in responding to the touch of the wooing airs, or, chewing a black birch twig as he makes the leisurely round of his line fence, warns his gardening neighbor that it is too early to plant beans. True, the poplars may be showing a tinge of green, and the buds of the hickory may have lighted their tiny candle flames on the winter-bared boughs; but the "blackberry winter" is yet to come, and there are rigorous possibilities still lingering in the high-flying clouds and the sudden- shifting winds.
1982, Patricia Murphy, Elaine Taylor-Gordon, The businesswoman's guide to 30 American cities:
... of the beautiful parks and lakes in the surrounding area or to some of the historic points of interest. Bus service is available but is sometimes confusing. Taxis don't cruise much; they have to be ordered by phone with a resultant wait, so they're not really practical either if you plan a lot of moving about. The weather is mostly moderate, although summers can be ghastly hot and winters ghastly cold, with heavy snow. But Tennessee specializes in Indian summers and blackberry winters …
1998, Annie Jones, The Prayer Tree, Alabaster (→ISBN):
They did not have blackberry winters in Maine, or strawberry winters, or dogwood winters — all terms used to refer to three cool snaps that folks expected here each spring. That blackberry winter still existed, that she had come home in time to experience it, bolstered Naomi's spirits. And something in her mother's touch — something subtle that conveyed, "I'm still your mother, I still have something to contribute to you," did much to set Naomi's world right again.
2008, Helen Lavinia Underwood, Under Cedar Shades: A Novel, Xlibris Corporation (→ISBN), page 120:
blackberry winter was almost over, and it was getting warmer. Still, the roads in the mountains would likely be muddy and harder to travel with all the spring rains . They passed blackberry canes blooming along the edge of the road and stopped at meandering streams and water falls for fresh water. As they climbed higher, the trees seemed to grow taller. Oaks, hickories, pines, and maples dwarfed the wagon. Henry noticed some places along the way where hunters had used fire to ...
“I grew up in the city, but my mother's people were farmers. I spent several summers on their farm in North Carolina when I was a child. I always remember the blackberry winters.” “What the devil is a blackberry winter?” “In May there's usually a last cold snap before the heat of the summer comes. That's when the blackberries ripen.” Her voice softened. “Dear Lord, how I loved that time.” “Better than spring?” She nodded. “It was a time apart. The hues of the flowers seemed more brilliant ...
2016, Pete A. Martin, Up There at the House, iUniverse (→ISBN):
Year after year, through the dog days of autumn and the Indian summers and winter, the blackberry winters of summer, and the budding of spring, he had gone through this cycle with these weaklings and had come to not dread them like he used to. It was that last winter at Crud's that he, not yet a man, suddenly realized that Jezenne was no longer the little girl he had always thought her. He knew, too , that she was suddenly older than he. He grew, and he learned. The miracle has yet ...
2007, Julie Hogan, Stories of Love for Mothers, Guideposts (→ISBN}}):
"We ain't had blackberry winter yet," Grandma would say with conviction. " blackberry winter" — that's what my grandmother called that final cold snap in May, when blackberries began to ripen. And she was always right. Before the month was over, I'd have to retrieve a sweater for a few days. Now that I'm an adult, I've noticed "blackberry winters" in other areas of my life, too. I save for a vacation, but have to spend the money on a new washer. My "meaningful relationship" with my two ...
2006, Rose Kuehn, Milestones and Memories: When Feed Sacks Were the Hallmark of Fashion (→ISBN), page 31:
Denim gave them a challenge. The blackberry season actually started in May. There was always one week when the newly warmed air got a damp chill. A fine misty drizzle would fall for a few days. The old timers called this the blackberry drizzle or blackberry winter and a good reason not to grump about the weather knowing this drizzle was good for the maturing vines and soon the wonderful wild blackberries would be blooming I can still remember our anticipation would begin to ...
2011, Wayne Hancock, The Hard Way: Book 3 of the Gotcha Series, Xlibris Corporation (→ISBN):
“You know what I mean,” he said, turning loose of her arm. “I don't want the judge looking at you all afternoon instead of concentrating on our evidence.” “I'll try,” she said sweetly as she turned and sauntered out the door. Friday, May 17, ushered in a cold snap commonly known in that part of Missouri as “blackberry winter.” It usually occurred the first or second week of May, when the wild blackberries in the fields and along the country lanes started blooming. When the alarm clock went ...
2014, Beverly Grayson with Cathy Messecar, Dogwood Winter: Weathering Cancer with Hope (→ISBN):
We have such a great life together, even when I have bad days. I am always thankful for John and his support for me—thankful that John and I are a team. In Tennessee, spring arrives and then we have several “winters” when more freezes occur, arriving as different plants bloom. Long ago, Appalachian gardeners named these winters: Locust Winter, Redbud Winter, Dogwood Winter, blackberry winter, Whippoorwill Winter, and even Linsey Woolsey Britches Winter.
