blackberry picking

2cats1kid

Gigervamp wrote: »

If you freeze them on baking trays first, it doesn't matter if they're put in bags or boxes as they'll be frozen already so they won't get squashed.

ROFL Gigervamp. We've already established that my airing cupboard is jammed to the doors, well so is my freezer! I may be able to cram a baggie with a couple of ounces of berries in, but I have no chance with a baking tray!

The plus side of this is, having been going on about the need for another/bigger freezer for several months, I'm now at the stage where it is coming back from DH as his idea, so it may actually happen now.

scattymam1

Thanks 2cats1kid, so a slosh of vinegar - so I'm guessing just a pinch of salt will do if I'm using salt?!

Thanks for all your suggestions regarding freezing also.

Gigervamp

2cats1kid wrote: »

ROFL Gigervamp. We've already established that my airing cupboard is jammed to the doors, well so is my freezer! I may be able to cram a baggie with a couple of ounces of berries in, but I have no chance with a baking tray!

lol, mine too but I can just about balance a baking tray on top of the stuff in one of the drawers.

The plus side of this is, having been going on about the need for another/bigger freezer for several months, I'm now at the stage where it is coming back from DH as his idea, so it may actually happen now.

haha, funny how they do that and then insist it was their idea all along!

melliec

I have loads in my garden but they are ripening a few at a time so I am freezing them as they are ripe. I just stick them straight in a bag and they are fine;)

chrisfh

Hi,
Does anyone know any good blackberry foraging sites in east Surrey/South Croydon?
Thanks

1sttimer_2

I don't soak mine at all. Just put them into an airtight box (old ice cream boxes will do) and then leave them overnight. The maggots etc all go to the lid to get air so it's an easy job to just swil them down the drain.

I do wash and pick them over before I cook I will add!

I'm still here to tell the tale!

Gigervamp

chrisfh wrote: »

Hi,
Does anyone know any good blackberry foraging sites in east Surrey/South Croydon?
Thanks

I used to go picking over on Mitcham Common and South Norwood Country Park.

notenoughcash

Been on a lovely walk this afternoon with the kids and found some amazing blackberry bushes with so much fruit I didn't know where to start! There were a lot of nettles in front of them and my hand gone numb now through so many stings but filled the two bags we had and come home with 2lb. Wish I'd have taken a bigger bag, still loads left and some still to ripen. Think we'll be back again over weekend!

notenoughcash

We collected another 3lbs yesterday so I now have enough to have a go at the blackberry wine recipe. Got everything else I need from wilkos this morning and everything is now in the fermenting bin. Only about 8 months to go before it'll be ready!!

2cats1kid

Hey notenoughcash, I started a blackberry wine about 3 weeks ago now. I racked it the other day, and it is very promising, so I put another load of blackberry wine going a few days ago and it was strained into the demi john today. And today I put an experimental hedgerow wine into the fermentation bucket (basically whatever I found on my rambles this weekend - blackberries, elderberries, greengages, rose hips, damsons, crab apples and a few sloes) so I'm interested to see how that goes.

Anyway, I got a wee taste of the blackberry when I was racking it, and I think it may improve for being left longer than the recipe suggested. It has very strong tannin flavours, which I think may take some time to mellow. Yours may be entirely different to mine (one of the joys of winemaking - you never quite know what you are going to get!) but I'd assume it will take a lot of maturing and then be pleasantly surprised if it doesn't!