have patience with me, I ain't from here: I just picked a bunch of bramble berries from the side of the road...

[purplemonkeydishwasher]

they're ok right? i'm washing them and all. i thought i'd make an apple and bramble berry crumble.

[KaySamuels]

Yes it's ok but only if you share!

[EscapeFrom]

eat them

they are fine IMO

the lead may get you if you eat TONS of them.

[TheQueenOfQuotes]

you HAVE to share - I got some free brambles (ooo I'm so glad I've found someone else that calls them that - everyone round 'ere looks at me funny and says "They're blackberries" [snort]) yesterday from the church hall garden and made a really scrummy bramle and apple crumble with custard.

it took me back over 10yrs to picking them for my mum who would turn them into everything that one can possibly turn them into .....going to take the DS's out at the w/e I think and get some more

[saltire]

I call them brambles.
We went for a walk yesterday and I wished I ahd a bag, there were tons of them

[bagpuss]

mmmm, bramble jelly....

[TheQueenOfQuotes]

oooo - I'm really excited (gosh I should get out more ) another person that calls them that .

My mum used to send my DB and I out at the weekends with 2 plastic bags each - we were instructed not to come home until we had at least one plastic bag full each - and after that it was a competition between us to see whose pickings were the heaviest - I usually won as I used to brave the prickles and get right in the middle of the bushes - use to drive my older brother mad when I had 2-3lb more than him

[purplemonkeydishwasher]

oh rihgt! brambles and blackberries are the same thing?!

we met a lady picking some who said she made bramble liqueur. (okay it just took me 5 minutes to find out how to SPELL liqueur FFS!!)

[OrmIrian]

DS#2 and I picked a load on saturday and made jelly and then some crumble. The rest are going to be my breakfast with oats and yoghurt tomorrow.

[TheQueenOfQuotes]

well officialy

Bramble

"Any plant of the genus Rubus (rose family), consisting of usually prickly shrubs, including raspberries and blackberries. Brambles grow wild throughout North America, as well as in Europe and Asia, and are widely cultivated for their fruits."



But my mum always used to call blackberries Brambles - and every other "bramble" by it's proper name

[TollockyBoss]

blackberry ice lollies are lovely. But when they dribble you will never get rid of the stains. Never!

[SleeplessInTheStaceym11House]

oh i dont even wash them, but only pick ones abov waist height so no dogies could have peed o nthem!

[OrmIrian]

Neither do I stacey. I do have the odd qualm about it but by the time I've made up my mind the kids have usually stuffed them straight off the bush. Anyway washing the,m seems to accelerate the mushing process so if I was cooking with them I wouldn't do it until just before I was going to use them.

[gringottsgoblin]

i always rofl when i see how much supermarkets expect you to pay for brambles. they are about £2 for maybe 20. was gobsmacked to see you can also buy blackberry bushes from gardening shops. who pays for them?

[TheQueenOfQuotes]

I think the only difference I've noticed between "rip off" supermarket ones and the ones wild on the side of the road is that the wild ones don't tend to be quite as sweet.......so you just add extra sugar while cooking them .

[OrmIrian]

Oh yes goblin!!! £1.48 for a teeny weeny little tray in Morrisons the other day. We went in to get some jam making sugar and i just happened to see them. We had a carrier bag stuffed with free ones at the time

[TheQueenOfQuotes]

ooo flippin 'eck - I drag myself off one thread to go and do what I'm supposed to be doing (ie being a SAHM ) and get stuck on another one

[smugmumofboys]

We ha apple and blackberry crumble yesterday. Free food! What's not to like??

[ProfYaffle]

Mmmmm, love blackberrying. Made bramble jelly for the first time yesterday, delish. I normally keep a stash in the freezer for year round crumble. Am tackling crab apples for the first time this week.

[OrmIrian]

But I don't thing many people go blackberrying these days. We went to some fields just outside the town - easily accesible on foot from the town. Lovely sunny day, bushes crammed with fruit, no-one else picking. I'm sure when I was little you'd see at least one other person there.

[TheQueenOfQuotes]

Orm - yes there used to be loads out on our "picking ground" (as we called it) - now you hardly ever see people out with their bags anymore - sign of our supermarket society????

[handlemecarefully]

We have some (lots!) growing against the boundary of our garden with our neighbours. I haven't picked them because I am lazy - also they are really quite small

[more]

Ooohh we picked a bucket full (small) of brambles the other weekend. They are great for our smoothies and I made a lovely bramble and apple pie as a thank you for Grandad & Nana babysitting our son and daughter this weekend.

We are going again next weekend, but will defo be wearing thicker trousers and long sleeves. It is not only the thorns you have to be careful of here it is also the horrible thistles and green burny plants that I have now forgotten the name of .

[handlemecarefully]

That's quite shameful isn't it (I have also recently bought some online from Ocado). Right the children and I will pick a few after dinner

[more]

nettles .

[Monkeytrousers]

They grow like triffids around here. Bramble heaven