The humble Bramble or Blackberry can be found in hedgerows from early September to early October.  This versatile autumn fruit is packed with goodness.

Blackberries fresh fron the hedge

Dark purple, almost black fruits, similar to a Raspberry, are borne on thorny plants which climb their way through hedges and scrub.

Blackberry fruits are highly nutritious, being packed with vitamin C and other antioxidants as well as Ellagic acid, which is thought to provide protection against some chronic diseases and cancers.

The seeds are a good source of fibre and contain salicylates, a natural pain killing substance, forms of which are used in the common drug Aspirin.

During the first World War, soldiers were given blackberry juice with many of the fruits collected by schoolchildren, who were given time off school the harvest the berries.

Many wildlife species rely on the Blackberry for food and the thorny stems provide protection for insects and birds.

Bramble stems were also used in traditional crafts such as basketry and forming screens for crop protection.

Blackberries are native to Asia, America and Europe, with records of their use in Europe dating back to 8,000 BC.

Harvesting blackberries

Harvest Blackberries on a dry day and avoid squishy or damaged ones.

Wear good sturdy shoes or boots, as Brambles can grow in some awkward places.  The thorns will hook into you or your clothing quite easily and the juice will stain anything it touches purple, so make sure you don’t wear your good clothes.

Take a stick with you, something with a curved or hooked end will help you sort through the branches and bring fruit closer to you.

Keep and eye open for stinging insects. Blackberries are a good food source for many species and wasps are active during early autumn.

A solid container or bag will be needed to carry your harvest.

Storing blackberries

Make sure the fruit is dry, put them in the fridge and use within a couple of days. If eating straight away, put the fruits in a bowl of cold water to allow any insects to come out.

Blackberries are good for freezing but must be frozen dry, so don’t wash the fruit first.  Spread them evenly in a single layer on a tray and place in the freezer for a couple of hours.  Once frozen, they can be transferred to freezer bags or containers.

Cooking with Blackberries

Blackberries can be used to make jams and jellies and are a good partner for apples.  They can easily be combined with other forest fruits, apples or raspberries in pies and puddings.

If you are into making your own alcohol, then Blackberries can be turned into wine and liqueur.

Blackberries vary in sweetness, some will require the addition of sugar and some will not, so always test first.

Blackberry recipes

Bramble jams and jellies – BBC Good Food,   Great British Kitchen,

UKTV - Various Bramble recipes.

Bramble Sauce - Food.com version with duck but it is also good with Venison.

Blackberry Wine – Wine recipes from Wine Making Guides.

Gunther Anderson.com – Blackberry Liqueur and lots of other interesting recipes.

Blackberries on the bush

Autumn is approaching rapidly and the hedgerows are starting to yield their harvest.

A sunny day finally arrives, so with the dogs on their leads and pockets loaded with carrier bags, we set off to collect some Blackberries. or Brambles and Blackites as they are known locally.

Compared to last year and especially the year before, the fruits were disappointing. Very small berries and many of them already going mouldy on the branches.  Some fruits are hard and stunted, so it took us over an hour and a good mile covered to gain only about 2Kg of fruit.

In recent years, the same patch has yielded around 10Kg of nice plump juicy berries.

Pondering the reason for this we firstly blamed the weather. This year has seen only four weeks of decent sunshine in May, turning to rain in the second week of June. The ground was incredibly waterlogged and this is the first time we have been slipping around in mud whilst trying to pick the fruit.

The second factor we considered was the proliferation of Himalayan Balsam in the hedgerows. This plant is not native to the UK and has become a real pest in the past three or four years.  Its growth is rampant and no doubt it is sucking vital nutrients away from the native Blackberry bushes.

All of the bushes seemed to be “struggling”, with leggy stems reaching for much needed sunlight and bearing rust patches on their leaves.

Anyway, we had enough for a couple of pies or crumbles and maybe even a couple of pots of bramble and apple jelly,

Blackberries should not really be eaten whilst picking as they can contain lots of little maggots and should be soaked in cold salted water for about four hours before use. This will allow all those little beasties to crawl out and drown, leaving you with a bowlful of clean blackberries ready to use. Tip the berries into a strainer and rinse well to remove any traces of salt.

Within hours of picking, the fruits can often start to rot, so they are best used straight after cleaning or frozen. (Always clean the fruit before freezing and remove as much of the water from the berries as you can).

If you are planning to go foraging for wild Blackberries, consider some sturdy shoes and old clothes as you will get prickled and the juice stains. A walking cane (the sort with a hooked end) is very useful for reaching and pulling branches closer. Plastic bags (without holes in) or containers to put your berries in.

If you take the dog(s) along too, be ware that most of the best ripe berries will be in full sun, so be mindful of the time you spend and keep taking your dog into the shade and carry a bottle of water.

Don’t pick berries near the ground (dog peeing height) or from the side of a busy road to avoid contamination from vehicle fumes.

let us have your “Brambling” tales and tell us if you are experiencing a poor blackberry harvest, even if you grow your own.