Blackberry Picking

[girlfriend44]

Just been blackberry picking. Do people still do this as there where plenty there? Free fruit.
Does everyone just buy them now or do you still go picking?

In the north east in the 1970s October half term was known as blackberry week, kids would have a week off school to help bring in the harvest, I was told. I guess they are ripe earlier now.

Anyone else wondering what @RicherThanYew actually makes?😂I just spat out my tea

Too early here in sussex and the heatwave has made them tiny and sour.

OMG @Lolliesareonme I see my theory is correct.

Exactly!

Full of shit. All this If you don't pick them they will die crap.

I have been picking them for nearly 60 years. This is one of the earliest summers for blackberries I have known, but it came suddenly. If it stays dry they may tail off a bit, even stop to preserve water. If it rains the younger fruit will swell again and come back in late September for a final flourish. You can pick blackberries right up to the first frosts.

Good reason they are early this year and that is because of the dry weather. The brambles put all their energy into getting some early fruit using what water is available. Leaf growth should slow to avoid evaporation and focus the energy to fruits.

We have a wide range of soft fruit and fruit trees. It is the best year ever for a particular rare plum tree we have. These are, unusually, late but the crop which is normally about 300 plums per tree is easily 3,000 this year. The danger is the trees become brittle and the branches snap off with the weight. That is unlikely this year, as the fruits are not as heavy due to the water. Either they will drop off to preserve the tree or it will rain and the fruit will get jucier and tastier, perhaps a bit of both.

too early here (East Mids) too - need some rain to plump everything up!! My parents have a damson tree and a plum tree - this year the damson are really small and wrinkled due to the drought. The plums on the other hand are absolutely delicious!!!

Horseradish is very visible now. A lot of the vegetation and grass has died down and the plants which look like large dock leaves are easy to spot in the lanes and even on roadsides. Dig them out and take the roots for horseradish sauce. When it is dry the flavour is more intense, but it will be easier to dig when we have some rain. It's free. No law against taking horseradish and it is on public land mostly.

I am going to check out our local brambles tomorrow and see if any are ripe.

We picked a few ripe blackberries in the garden last week and they were really sour but the raspberries were delicious

Maybe wait a couple of weeks till you pick or at least let them ripen at home a bit first

Starting to get ripe here in the frozen North too, along with whinberries and cloudberries. Sloes and damsons ripening also.

I was always taught to 'leave some for the fairies'. It's a good principle. Birds and insects need to eat as much as we do- so however tempting, don't strip the bushes bare.

They're not swelling as quickly here, we've had little rain for almost 2 months. Fingers crossed as the apples are doing well this year both the bramleys and a sharp eating apple, maybe it's a russet.

We have wild blackberry bushes in the garden they're a pain, but kind of worth it for the fruit! Definitely get them early!

I prefer to leave them for the wildlife.

Blackberrying, plum picking, cherry picking and elderberry picking. All free fruit.

The back of the neighbour’s garden has loads overhanging. I always ask permission then make her something with them and any windfall apples. She can’t get to the apples overhanging us. I picked some in the park earlier, they were unusually big and sweet. Must be the sun/heat.

@Qik Bummer crop of plums, amazing really, i would never have expected to be throwing away fruit because its rotted on the tree in early august, luckily got the vast majority.

Two other varieties have a few days to go.

The brambles in Devon (Barnstaple) were laden a few days ago, but back home in Oxfordshire I've only seen a few as yet.

It depends where you are. Blackberries ripen sooner in different parts of the country.

I’ve got three tupperwares in the freezer already full!

Don’t forget to leave some for the birds and wildlife.

Yikes, @Lolliesareonme. My dad once toppled into a huge sloe bush when out foraging and when he clambered out my mum berated him for not filling the Tupperware while he was ensconced.

I’ve never bought a Blackberry in my life!!
pies, cakes, cordial, wine, crumble all from wild blackberries every year.
They are almost ready here but in a week or so we will have absolutely loads, I will probably freeze some

Loads here, we went last week with a small tub - could have taken a much larger one! 'Best day of my life,' said the 8 year old, a child routinely taken to theme parks/other nice days out. Simple things.
The 2 year old was very cute picking them and putting them in the tub!

Where I live in Sussex, old folklore says we shouldn't pick the blackberries past Michaelmas (29 September) because by then the Devil will have breathed on them.

We have a few ripening here, but they are small still and not very juicy - probably because we've had no rain.

We’ve been already and will go again and again until the season is over. The freezer is packed with them.