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.

Schools across Cumbria are being encouraged to spring into action and enter the Grow Your Own competition, run by Booths and The World of Beatrix Potter.

Peter Rabbit - credit © Frederick Warne & Co., 2009

Over 40 primary schools have already registered to take part in the competition but time is running out for other schools to get their entries in for the contest, which challenges local schoolchildren to get set and grow their own fruit and vegetables.

Each school can take their pick of the crops to grow a harvest of healthy produce. This can include anything from carrots to cucumbers and radishes to rhubarb.

Designed to help children understand where different fruit and vegetables come from and to encourage them to eat their five a day, the Grow Your Own competition is open to all schools in Lancashire, Cumbria, Yorkshire and Cheshire.

To help pupils get growing, Booths will send each participating school a selection of seasonal vegetable seeds that can be planted now.

Some great prizes are on offer

The winning entrants will get £1,000 for their school to spend on gardening or cooking equipment for use in lessons.

They will also get a special trip for the whole class to visit the World of Beatrix Potter in Bowness-on-Windermere and the new Peter Rabbit Naturally Better Garden.

Three runners up will each receive £150 and a goody bag from Frederick Warne, publishers of the Beatrix Potter books.

Competition will be tough

The judges will include Eric Robson, the Chairman of the BBC’s Gardeners’ Question Time programme, two of Booths’ fresh produce experts Matthew Bruno and Val Gibson, the deputy editor of Olive magazine Lulu Grimes and Richard Lucas, who is designing the Peter Rabbit Naturally Better Garden.  They will be looking for the school that harvests the finest fruit and vegetables.

Eric Robson says: “With Spring arriving, it’s the perfect time for children to get their wellies on and start gardening.  It’s been shown that children who grow their own produce are likely to eat more fruit and vegetables than those who don’t.

“Gardening is such a fun and rewarding experience for young people – and they can eat the results!”

One finalist will be selected from each of the four counties where Booths’ stores are based –

• Lancashire,
• Cumbria,
• Yorkshire
• and Cheshire.

They will be invited to bring some of their best produce to an awards ceremony at Booths head office in Preston on 13th July, where the awards will be presented by Eric Robson with help from Peter Rabbit.

Booths’ Matthew Bruno says: “We had great feedback from all the schools who took part in the contest last year. The children had a wonderful time and learned so much about growing delicious local produce.

“There’s still time for schools to register and be in with a chance of winning some fantastic prizes.”

More than 35 schools took part in last year’s Grow Your Own competition and the winner was Broad Oak Primary School in Penwortham near Preston in Lancashire. Pupils won over the judges by growing strawberries in Bags for Life, weighing the potatoes in maths and producing cauliflowers that even impressed one of Booths’ local growers.

Richard Foster from the World of Beatrix Potter Attraction says: “We’re all looking forward to seeing how the children get on with growing fruit and vegetables.  We hope the competition like the Peter Rabbit Naturally Better Garden will help children to learn more about where their food comes from and encourage them to eat more fruit and vegetables.”

How to enter

To enter your school into the competition please visit the Booths website at www.booths.co.uk/growyourown before 30th April.  The site also includes growing tips from Eric Robson and details about how to get your seeds.

Schools will then need to submit their entries by 1st July in the form of a short creative photo or video diary showing the children planting their gardens and growing the fruit and vegetables.

For more information on the World of Beatrix Potter Attraction visit www.hop-skip-jump.com