Blackberries growing in my garden

[LittleBirdBlu]

Just moved and we have got a big bush at the bottom of the garden growing around and on top of a shed, it's covered in what looks like blackberries. Is it ok to eat these do you think? My 9 year olds are picking them but I've told them not to eat any until I know it's ok, and we've washed them properly of course.

I'd give them a soak for a bit like to get rid of the beasties.

I always have to make an apple & blackberry crumble with ours. It's my family's favourite pudding.

We also have 'pudding in the patch' after dinner some evenings where we pick blackberries, raspberries, gooseberries, cherries, strawberries, apples or whatever is ripe at the time and just eat them there and then, straight off the bush, super fresh. So I'm definitely in the not washing camp!

Completely wrong leaves for sloes.

Fruit too dull for blackcurrants.

I'd just hang on for the second photo first, before you eat any until you get it identified.

If you make blackberry and apple jam you don't need pectin. Apples have it naturally.

Also freeze them and put them in apple crumble, roll out pastry and fill with blackberries and sugar then pop in the over or simply eat them fresh with other berries and / or yoghurt.

The leaves on the second set of photos are blackcurrant leaves. I think the berries must be dusty...

A quick taste test before she has identified them?
A good opportunity to teach your DC never to eat berries unless they know what they are, OP.
Enjoy the blackberries though 😋

Could no. 2 be Ribes sanguineum?

The berries on the second picture are Ribes, or Flowering Current.
They are not usually eaten, but they are harmless.

*currant.

Apple and blackberry pie or crumble is also good.
As is putting blackberries on top of porridge for breakfast.

I would never do this below Labrador height!

We always soaked ours overnight so beasties would come out

Second picture definitely not sloes, completely different leaf. They're a currant all right.

We always make blackberry wine to enjoy at Christmas. Give it a go!

if you do wash your blackberries dry them lightly with a teatowel before cooking for jam as too much water will not helpthe jam the juice they ooze as they cook down provides the liquid a see a you tube video of bramble or blackberry jam for you tonight
don't pick the red ones just the black ones the red nes will be ready next week
if you want to keep blackberries for next year cut out all the stems that had fruit on as next years berries grow on new stems ie the small green ones with no fruit
you can cut back quite vigourously as blackberries can grow at a rate of an inch a day easily

She already has had it identified. As several PP have said, it’s a flowering currant