To wonder if I'm the only weirdo still picking blackberries?

[DrSeuss]

I grew up in a village forty years ago where it was perfectly normal to go blackberrying, now I live in a suburb where there's a massive bramble patch about fifty feet from my door and another two a short walk away. Every time I go out to pick them, firstly it's clear from the volume that no one else is bothering and secondly I get lots of comments from passers by about what will I do with them. Not unfriendly comments, more surprised and unclear as to why I would bother! I suggested to several that they should combine dog walking and foraging but they never do. Most years I get a freezer shelf full. One year I made blackberry vodka for people as Christmas presents and had requests for more. This evening's haul are in the microwave right now turning into jam. Am I the only weirdo or do others do it too?

No you aren't - I'm picking them out of my garden!

I love blackberries! Picked about seventeen pounds over a few weekends and now have All The Bramble Jelly In The World. There were still loads left on the bushes. I hope there are some fellow blackberry weirdos out there who will pick them.

Others are doing it. They are in rural Wales anyway. There's great completion for the best bilberries between July/August and sept onwards people start to turn their eyes to the brambles ( jealous that yours are ready though! Ours have a week or two yet!)

I do it too but still learning the recipes for crumble etc. DD loves blueberries and blackberries and they cost a fortune. My lovely new blueberry bushes are coming on well and picked our first bag of blackberries last week. I put them loose in the freezer to allow a handful whenever we fancy but hope to pick more this year for cooking with.

No, my dc love blackberry picking. We get some on every walk to the park. We don't usually come home with many!

I live quite rurally. I have been picking them in the garden with DD today as they grow in our hedges.

Used to notice a few walkers picking then in our lane but not so much lately. Really just the few neighbours kids really.

this year we came across millions of people picking in our favourite spot. It was the first year we've seen anyone else out there doing that. Also had a couple of bizarrely rude comments and one person said out loud that we weren't allowed. So we hardly got any. There's loads left to ripen but we are really busy over the next few weeks.

Fortunately no one else seemed to have found our secret sloes bushes. phew.

I've got tonnes this year - on top of what I've used up I've got about 10 sandwich bags full in the freezer. Love blackberry picking!

I picked some today! From the brambles in my (very neglected) garden.

We do! Picked plums, apples and blackberries in the lanes and park this week. DD is a September baby, and always asks for crumble rather than birthday cake. Blackberry, of course.

Our garden is a sea of blackberries. The problem I have at the moment is visiting dc wanting to go picking and taking a bucket home - their parents look horrified. We freeze them - they're great in smoothies and make muffins with them. We made wine one year - it was very drinkable but took maybe 18 months with them sitting round the house in demijohns.

My daughter loves going blackberrying too. She brings home a few more than she eats!

I do!!! Although I still have a drawer full of blackberry jam I made last year.

I pick blackberries; make fruit vodkas, and brew wine and bake as well. But I only know one or two other people who do.

I've picked a whole lot, I wanted to make jelly. Where do I acquire pots though? Quite cheaply for preference. Lakeland seems expensive.

We do.
Jam in the microwave?

I'll add that blackberries- because they are almost impossible to commercially pick cheaply(result being expensive in shops) - and yet incredibly easy to pick free individually- they are my favourite fruit.

My daughter and I went blackberry picking this evening. We picked nearly a pound of them! I'm thinking of making jam. Never made it before but sounds like a plan.

I usually pick loads (although not started this year ) and make vast quantities of compote to go on yogurt and for blackberry & apple crumble. Bloody love free fruit

cold just recycle old jam/honey/pasta jars. Any glass jar with a decent lid (nutella jars don't work)

Home Bargains have cheap Mason jars. Or just get people to save them for you throughout the year. Also IKEA, Poundland etc.

We've made jam and pies so far. And added them to the home brew wine.
Combined with the nightly dog walk it's one of the best bits of living rurally.

I do it! I love free fruit! I make jam but mainly divide into bags and freeze for crumbles. Yum.

Microwave jam is an official Mumsnet Instructional Video I'll have you know! Available on YouTube. Use a big bowl as it boils up like Vesuvius and break the 12 minute section into three or it gets too hot.

The easiest way to get jars is to buy cheap cheap pasta sauce, tip out the sauce and freeze in freezer bags (or bin it if you can't face eating it) and use those jars.