The blackberry harvest

A._Badger

Strange- down here (Kent/Sussex borders) despite a lot of sun and not much rain, ours are a few weeks away, yet.

I wonder why?

Steel_2

Tons here in Northants...well...at the bottom of my garden that is! I have a whole fence full of wild ones, but then every year I do prune and feed them.

Been doing jams and crumbles, but also frangipanes (open tart with an almond paste filling) plus freezing them individually on a baking tray and then putting them in bags.

And feeding them to my disgustingly piggy chickens.

Melonade

Steel wrote: »

Tons here in Northants...well...at the bottom of my garden that is! I have a whole fence full of wild ones, but then every year I do prune and feed them.

Been doing jams and crumbles, but also frangipanes (open tart with an almond paste filling) plus freezing them individually on a baking tray and then putting them in bags.

And feeding them to my disgustingly piggy chickens.

I was just about to ask about this, thought this was how to do it but wasn't sure. Now I can pick a load extra to freeze :T

I wish I only had to visit the bottom of the garden to pick them

VanyaHargreeves

we have absolutely tons but they don't seem to taste of much.

ceridwen

I've been thinking further on how difficult it is round my way to find theres any food much left to forage - as the vast majority of what little there is tends to have been picked before I get it to it already - and maybe its something to do too with it being a dear area to live in - hence other people, besides myself, are looking for free food to help counterbalance our dear housing/transport/bills/food that we have in this area (compared to most of the rest of Britain).

Difficult to know for sure just why it is that the "pickings" are so thin here - greater volume of people/dearer area - hence more economies being made elsewhere/greedier people (ie not caring whether they have left plenty for others after them)....Dont think its down to this being an urban area (as even on going to somewhere in the country where I know there are loads of blackberry bushes - I have to walk quite some distance off the "beaten track" before there are plenty still there unpicked).

Pretty much all I can manage to pick a reasonable amount of here is the type of free food items that not many people are aware are edible...

RHYSDAD

A._Badger wrote: »

Strange- down here (Kent/Sussex borders) despite a lot of sun and not much rain, ours are a few weeks away, yet.

I wonder why?

Where are you Badger? i'm in that area and our's are perfect, in fact over ripe in some places?

RHYSDAD

ceridwen wrote: »

I've been thinking further on how difficult it is round my way to find theres any food much left to forage - as the vast majority of what little there is tends to have been picked before I get it to it already - and maybe its something to do too with it being a dear area to live in - hence other people, besides myself, are looking for free food to help counterbalance our dear housing/transport/bills/food that we have in this area (compared to most of the rest of Britain).

Difficult to know for sure just why it is that the "pickings" are so thin here - greater volume of people/dearer area - hence more economies being made elsewhere/greedier people (ie not caring whether they have left plenty for others after them)....Dont think its down to this being an urban area (as even on going to somewhere in the country where I know there are loads of blackberry bushes - I have to walk quite some distance off the "beaten track" before there are plenty still there unpicked).

Pretty much all I can manage to pick a reasonable amount of here is the type of free food items that not many people are aware are edible...

It's a shame you can't come and forage the Bramble hedge i found Ceridwen, there's so much that it'll probably get left for the birds and wasps and even then, they'll be sick of them!!! I reckon there must be about 100 kg plus on this hedge. And there's about another 6 or 7 reasonable little bramble hedges with similar size blackberries on them!!!

A._Badger

RHYSDAD wrote: »

Where are you Badger? i'm in that area and our's are perfect, in fact over ripe in some places?

Out on Romney Marsh, but yesterday, at Winchelsea Beach it was the same - red but not ready for picking yet.

Never mind, gives me time to clear space in the freezer!

TravellingAbuela

Apart from the odd few, most are still a few weeks away from ripe in West/North Yorkshire also. However, over the last few weeks I have been busy picking Bilberries from the moors. The best crop that I can remember in a long time. I have 17 lbs stashed away in the freezer! Some for jam, some for crumble and some for pies. I am ready and waiting now for the blackberries!

JessicaJane_2

picked a load of blackberries the other day and froze them not knowing that they might have maggots in them (mum didn't tell me..apparently 'added protein'!) and chomped through one muching on my frozen ones today. anyone know a way of getting rid of the maggots?? They taste horrible