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?

Claire, I have a vague recollection of reading that somewhere. I then made the mistake of mentioning it to my mother.

Suffice it to say that I may well try it but won't be publicising the fact within earshot of my mother.

They ain't ready here yet.

Will be out this weekend,may try blackberry vodka for pressies this year but the bag of crumble mix is already waiting in the freezer.

Picks loads for the horse tonight,he's too lazy to bother, although makes a token effort if I'm watching. I also stripped multiple rosehips last week as he likes them and they have good stuff for his hooves etc. I was outside someone's house for ages picking the hips off the bush on the verge!

This is the downside of having the garden tamed - far fewer blackberries; I used to be able to get a freezer drawer full. I'm considering asking my neighbours if I can have a rummage in their wilderness. The other side has elderflowers and now elderberries but i don't know what to do with those

Elderflower champagne!

WHAT???

Parts of our garden are overgrown, so I was picking and eating fruit off the bramble today. We've already had some crumbles. I also forage for apples, damsons and plums. I usually forage for mirabelle, too, but still have loads in the freezer from last year. Rosehip vodka is lush, although you do have to be very careful that they really are rosehips. We also have our eye on a walnut tree that is on common land.

I went out foraging with the DCs yesterday. One of them was scoffing them as she went along saying how delicious they were, so I popped one in my mouth and ...bleurgh!...spat it straight out again.

I now have a fridge full of the buggers as well as Cotton Candy grapes, I'm so impressionable!

Only way I'll eat them is by ruining a perfect, good Apple pie or crumble with the crunchy little blighters.

Perfectly good*

Yup blackberry picking here. Make all sorts, wine, jam, jellies, crumbles. Fruits too expensive so I stock as much in freezer as poss. over 30lb last Year. Yum! Also for plums, sloes, apples, garlic rosehips, elderflower etc.

This thread has reminded me - we have raspberries growing at the top of the hill in our local park, where the estate owner's house used to stand. Must check if there are any still there, although it's probably a bit late now. Next year, then.

I would love to know why BadKitten 'wasn't allowed to pick blackberries...very strange.

We had blackberry and apple crumble on Monday as a branch has fallen off DS's apple tree.. luckily the apples though small were lovely, better than last years

I normally make about a dozen jars of blackberry and apple jam. We are self sufficient in jam

This year I am also making elderberry vodka, sloe gin when the sloes come and apple chutney. I've only just realised that we have loads of hazelnuts in the lane so will be picking those soon too.

I am 36, was born and raised in a city, and love foraging :-) makes me feel all wholesome!

When my aunt died she had just gone blackberrying (she and her husband were multi-millionaires as it happens but still went blackberrying every year). She had frozen the blackberries and her 2 sisters got them after she died and made jam with them - we remembered her every time we ate that jam.

Loved collecting blackberries in billycans. Was a real defining memory of my childhood.

Only another week and a half before the James Grieves' on the tree in our garden are "officially" ripe for eating. That is if they haven't all been blown off by the wind or eaten by birds.

Just discovered that we some wild strawberries in the garden.
Haven't tried them yet.

Are you all rural? I live inner city. I actually dont know where to go to pick fruit.

I'm in suburban Glasgow.

We are semi rural and have had spent a great afternoon blackberrying on the field behind our house.
But there are loads in less rural places-any where a bit overgrown is likely to have brambles at this time of year (or earlier the further south you go).

We picked elderflower along the canal for the first time this year and made cordial and will be looking for sloes soon

I picked a few earlier this week. It brought back such lovely memories of big old margarine tubs and my Nana's purple stained hands ♥

Obviously elderflower champagne! And cordial. And liqueur.

But it's gone to berries now and I'd like to do something with those - except I don't know what or how...

We have two elderflower trees in our gardens, that I really ought to do more with!

Blackberries are nice but raspberries are better. Last summer was fantastic, but not quite so good this year. Nevertheless I've managed one trayful in the freezer.

Elderberries are just coming in now. I'm umming about trying wine this year, or hanging on in there for the sloes for gin purposes.

I could of course try both... I'm sure if I put my mind to it I could acquire a bit more sugar and a few more bottles!

DS and I still blackberry pick (as does DH if he is around when we are doing so) - it's especialy good as we are low on funds at the moment so if we fancy something sweet we just pop three mins down the road and voila lots of lovely blackberries to make a pie with or just wash and eat straight out of the bowl!

NeedATrim Blackberries will be growing in all sorts of weird and wonderful places, including urban environments. When you do find them, only eat from fresh the ones above waist height (dogs may have wee-ed on the lower ones). And if they came from beside a main road, probably best to rinse them off in case of exhaust fumes. But I assure you they will be rampaging happily over any waste ground they can find!