Are you blackberrying?

[BadActingParsley]

They are excellent this year. Collected enough for about 4 crumbles this evening. But no one else out picking them…. Is it an old fashioned thing?

Should people be taking kgs of them? Don't the birds rely on them?

The birds near us have nicked all of our plums off the tree this year so I’d say it’s getting even 😉

Lots around here but they definitely peaked early this year.

I've made two sorts of jam, frozen a lot for crumbles, made muffins and simply eaten a lot stewed with plums or apples.
Our plum tree has been laden, and our neighbours are giving apples to everyone.

I love this time of year.

Yes! Amazing crop this year. I do it when I’m walking the dog. I’ve put them all in the freezer for a crumble later in the winter!

You can't get anywhere near picking all of them here, a lot are too high / too far set back amongst the thorns and a lot are so infested with nettles that humans can't get at them. Then there's the ones below knee height....

Can you tell me how you make your syrup, I make rosehip syrup for the winter but would love to make some blackberry cordial

I’m in the northwest and the season seems to be over. Mid-July I picked kilos and kilos.

That's good that they're still getting something! Their habitats and food sources are in so much jeopardy that I had a knee jerk reaction.

Not me, but this recipe for blackberry cordial is great. I put it in sterilised bottles and would maybe add some citric acid or a campden tablet if I wanted it to last longer (but it never lasts long here!).

https://www.sainsburysmagazine.co.uk/recipes/drinks/blackberry-cordial

Scotland here and they did start early this year. I’ve done a couple of crumbles (some wild apple trees near me too), loaf cakes and jam. Love this time of year.

Mostly over here now but I have a freezer drawer full of them , I pick them every year, so delicious!

They’re all dried out and shrivelled here. Like little raisins. 😭

Yup, got loads! Off again today.

Glad it’s not just us!

No, because here in the SE the blackberries were ripening end of July and have been picked to death! What is left I’m leaving for the wildlife to get them through the autumn.

@Floranan I make all kinds of syrup/cordial in the same way, simmer the fruit with a bit of water until it's soft. Wide sieve it to get the pips and skin and things out. If it's something I want no bits in or with hairs like the rosehips I also squeeze it through a muslin. (You're meant to be patient and not squeeze it but I don't notice a difference and am impatient). Then I measure the liquid and add an equal amount of sugar, and some lemon juice or citric acid. Then simmer again and dissolve the sugar. Don't let it boil or it sometimes turns to jam. I sterilise the bottles/jars in the oven for 5mins and add syrup in hot to warm bottles.

I made blackberry ripple ice cream.

The sloes are amazing this year too…

Eating the last crumble for breakfast now. We need 115g to make a crumble and the last one was a stretch despite all the brambles taking over at the allotment. (South coast)

People seem to have gone into a frenzy around by me at the moment. There's some huge bushes in my front garden but I can't stand them, the worst berry 😅

@Radiatorvalves how do you get it to ripple? I make a lot of ice cream but my blackcurrant/blackberry type flavours ones always end up entirely pink. Do you add the fruit at the end?

Yes we've done lots and there's plenty of bushes around that still have berries. We've made muffins but often we just eat them. I think DD enjoys the picking more than eating or making with them

I made vanilla ice cream and then dribbled the blackberry coulis over the top. (200g blackberries, tbsp sugar, tbsp water in a pan. Once heated and mushy, put through a sieve).

Then I forked it through. I’d suggest doing a bit of drizzling when you’ve got half the ice cream in the tub. Mine was too heavy!

None this year for me, seems a really bad year for it locally (N Scotland) they’re all shrivelled up and hard and a lot of the bushes got completely battered in the storm a couple of weeks ago. Very disappointing for me! I love making blackberry jam

A large bush has appeared in my Dad's Garden ,I think it's growing over the fence from a house at the back of his we picked a load at the weekend and had them with apple pie and cream.