(no subject)

Yay! I have a canning kettle and many, many jars, thanks to triath! (Well, technically thanks to her mother, but by way of triath.) I need to get some fresh seals and, I think, some bottle-lifting tongs, but that's easily accomplished. And I have some blackberries to start with, since jam, with its high sugar content and high acidity and therefore low likelihood to harbor nasties like botulism, is fairly safe to try as an amateur.

That said, does anyone know a cost-effective way to get many pounds of fruit in the Seattle area? I'm looking particularly at blackberries this time of year (or really any kind of berry, but this is omg blackberry country), and a month or two from now, apples for applesauce and apple butter (and/or pears, ditto). Barring better ideas, I will keep an eye out for farm stands, but if there's a better way I'd love to hear it. We used to get apples really cheap in large quantities from WSU's agriculture department, but when I last went looking UW didn't have anything like that, being a city school and all.

(Caveats: I'm willing to pick my own, but I'm shy; a farm set up for pick-your-own is great, a situation where I have to call someone I don't know and say 'can I have your berries if I come pick them?' is not so much useful.)

Good leads may be rewarded with jam in the future, or pickles if you prefer those. :)