Wimberry Pie

karenn1957

I remember when i was a child for a treat having whimberry pie, it was similar in looks to blackcurrants but more tarty,....my question is does anyone know where or if whimberrys are still available? i have never seen them in the shops.

Sagaris

Are they also known as blueberries or am I mistaken?

meanmarie

Wonder is these were called 'whinberries' as I have heard of those...not sure that they are not the wild blueberry (? open to correction on that) which are called 'frauchans' ( pronounces frokens) in Wicklow and other hilly areas.

There was, and may be still a Frauchan Festival held near Dublin around this time of the year and I have eaten them when I was a child....same colour as blueberries we are familiar with, smaller but as I remember them they tasted much the same. I haven't seen many of them in recent years but am sure that someone else will be more knowledgeable than me on the subject.

Marie

karenn1957

no they are differant...its 30 odd years since i last saw them..but i remember them vividly as they were so juicy, and we always had to be careful what we wore as the juice would stain if you got it on your clothes....

Gingernutmeg

Bilberries are what you're after, and I think they're a form of wild blueberry You can get them in jars from delicatessens, or if you're lucky you can sometimes find them fresh during the summer - I'm not sure of the exact season though. I used to go whimberry picking when I was little, we used to go home with our fingers and teeth stained purple and we always got in trouble for eating more than we saved

karenn1957

Thats sounds like them alright.
Used to be a nervous wreck eating the pies as you knew you would end up with a stain somewhere or other....but was worth it.
Thanks for your help....

thriftmonster

I can remember the joy of whinberry picking up on the moors - and one year my Gran fell down a rabbit hole!!!!! Wild bilberries - and when my Dad was little they used to make strawberry and bilberry pies with the last of the strawberries and the first of the bilberries - very definitely a seasonal treat in those days - my Dad's 73 and he's still talking about them11

lofty_cherrytree

We have lots growing wild here in Surrey. They are wild blueberries aka whinberries or bilberries. I use them in muffins, haven't had time to pick enough for a pie (plus it always seems to be raining!)

Penny_Watcher

Bilberries are picked around here at the beginning of the summer holidays (always a treat for the kids) and blackberries at the very end. My grandmother used to make bilberry and apple pies YUM!!!

troll35

Usually we can pick bilberries from mid july until mid august, I don't know how the wet may and june will have affected them though.

thriftlady_2

I think they're also called whortleberries in some parts I remember picking bilberries on the Lickey Hills just south of Brum. Pies made with them are sometimes called 'mucky-mouth pies' 'cos of the juice.