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Post by whisker on Jul 18, 2011 11:39:50 GMT
I think we are going to be overflowing with Blackberrys this year as the Hedges are full of flowers .Mick wants me to make some blackberry and crab apple wine .. :oAs i have a glut of crab apples in my garden.
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Post by whisker on Aug 10, 2011 16:55:47 GMT
Some articles in the news are saying Blackberry picking is dieing out ..They are still a bit green here and not very large i have not had enough rain..
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Foraging for blackberries is self-evidently A Good Thing. But for those needing the reasons spelled out, the UK's experiencing an economic downturn, and we're talking here about free food. Tesco is currently charging £1.99 for 150g of blackberries. But they're there for the taking at a hedgerow near you.
Another point, not unrelated to the credit crunch, is that blackberry-picking is itself a pleasurable, healthy, yet zero-cost activity. Our nine-year-old loved our walk to South Norwood Lake on Saturday afternoon (considerably more than our nettle-gathering excursion earlier in the year … but that's another story). When he mentioned that he couldn't pick them without getting juice all over his fingers, he was told it was a perk of the job. The only downside as far as I can see was that I got blackberry stains all over my shorts.
What do we do with them? Make jam, maybe, or a simple compote. But best of all is Nigel Slater's delicious trifle recipe. Any other bright ideas will be received hungrily.
So why this alleged decline in blackberry-picking? True, the summer's been a wash-out – but blackberries are still in plentiful supply. The Daily Mail cites urban sprawl. Maybe people haven't time to go foraging. Or perhaps they just don't know where to look.
A few words of warning: blackberries often grow by roadsides, which you should avoid, as traffic fumes impair the fruit. The food blog Totally Cooked counsels against picking fruit from lower branches, which may have been peed on by dogs. And superstition holds that blackberries shouldn't be picked after the end of September, when the Devil will have urinated on them. Yuck, that sounds even worse than dog piss.
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Post by elaine on Aug 10, 2011 22:00:58 GMT
I have been pout foraging, and have picked two huge containers full of berries, there are tons and tons near me. I love it though, stained hands, thorns in the fingers, missed footing, and the miles of walking.
Best bit is eating all the goodies made from the collecting of them. It has been a ritual in my house to go get them every year, for donkeys years.
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Post by mikkel on Aug 10, 2011 22:20:54 GMT
I was picking blackberries on Saturday, filled a large margerine tub, then gave them away to a friend last night, Very much to her appreciation.
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Post by elaine on Aug 10, 2011 22:31:48 GMT
That was very kind of you Mikkel,  I could eat pounds of Blackberries, they are good to make cough syryp too, just cook with sugar. I am going to make some pickle and chutney with this lot too, as been given recipe, which I will post up soon. |
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Post by whisker on Aug 11, 2011 4:31:48 GMT
I might go and pick some on sunday if its going to be ok weather mick is mithering me to make some wine as we also have lots of crab apples and they would combine together very well..I used to make gallons of wine at one time ..
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Post by mikkel on Aug 11, 2011 14:22:07 GMT
That was very kind of you Mikkel, I could eat pounds of Blackberries, they are good to make cough syryp too, just cook with sugar. I am going to make some pickle and chutney with this lot too, as been given recipe, which I will post up soon.
While I, was picking them, so a chap and his son sought permission to join me. I was on the Bramley Line and they should be members, but with the amount there were on the bushes, I didn't worry, as I was there for their safety as well. The son (6/7 years of age) kept picking them and putting them in a container, but after he'd put a few in it, so he turned and ate them. his container went home as it came and Empty.
The friend I picked them for had said she'd like some, so I picked them for her, seeing as she is so good to me.
If there are any left next time I go, so I will pick some more. |
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Post by whisker on Aug 13, 2011 5:35:55 GMT
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Post by elaine on Aug 14, 2011 20:04:33 GMT
 sooooo much for that link on the recipes. I was running out of ideas, of what I could do with all the berries I have picked. I am going to make syllabub, summer pudding, and blackberry muffins. I like the idea of Blackberry cheesecake too. I could just sit with a huge bowl of them, and much all evening  I HAVE actually eaten Blackberries for breakfast, lunch, and dinner.  |
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I could eat pounds of Blackberries, they are good to make cough syryp too, just cook with sugar. I am going to make some pickle and chutney with this lot too, as been given recipe, which I will post up soon.
I HAVE actually eaten Blackberries for breakfast, lunch, and dinner. 