>
> Picked a pickup truck load of wild grapes at our deer lease back in the
> sixties. Just backed the truck up under one of the Bois d'Arc trees the
> vines were growing on and Dad and I put plastic in the truck bed and
> then pulled grape clusters until our hands hurt. Drove the 150 miles
> home and then unloaded them.


I don't think I've told my wild grapes misadventure here.

I had picked them in the wooded areas of North Stonington, CT with a
friend for a few years (She was a championship gleaner for anything free.)

One day after the school bus had left I hopped in my two week old (new)
car and drove through the woods, only to see all the vines where we had
picked COVERED with thick layers of poison ivy vines and leaves.

I kept driving and turned down a road where I'd never been before.

The road passed a beautiful dairy farm and just beyond I saw what looked
like freshly turned rich, black earth with thick, luxurious grape vines
full of fruit at the far end of the field.

I parked, picked up my basket, and headed across the field. Two steps
in, I sank up to my knees in what was almost-liquid cow manure. I can
still vividly remember the sensation and the odor. I headed back to the
car where I had no stock of towels, paper towels, or even more than a
couple of sheets of Kleenex (it was a new car and we hadn't begun to
fill it with "emergency supplies" yet. I drove home with the one sheet
of newspaper I did find under my feet and the windows wide open. It
took me the rest of the day to clean myself and the car.

I've never picked wild fruit since.

gloria p