Blackberries!

[ElaineB]

I've just finished two weeks fabulous holiday. We stayed at home (Stroud, gloucestershire) and did loads of walking.....

Anyway, on our walks, we picked lots of blackberries and I couldn't help noticing that very few people seem to do this these days. I used to pick them as a child and then in turn with my daughter - great fun and the resultant apple and blackberry crumble (with lashings of cream or ice-cream) was well received!

Did anyone else do this as a child and do you still?


Elaine

[Double Trouble]

We always went blackberry picking with my Mum when we were kids and my Mum would make apple and blackberry pies.

Me and Gav often take the kids for walks along the river lea on summer evenings and a few weeks back we took our buckets along and collect hundreds of sweet plump blackberries. A great way to kill a few hours on a nice evening and you get free fruit! Bonus!

We had so many that I made three batches of this Apple and Blackberry tray cake. It was absolutely delicious.

[ElaineB]

We always went blackberry picking with my Mum when we were kids and my Mum would make apple and blackberry pies.

Me and Gav often take the kids for walks along the river lea on summer evenings and a few weeks back we took our buckets along and collect hundreds of sweet plump blackberries. A great way to kill a few hours on a nice evening and you get free fruit! Bonus!

We had so many that I made three batches of this Apple and Blackberry tray cake. It was absolutely delicious.

Mmmmmm, that sounds good - another recipe to try I think!


Elaine

[philsmove]

I cycled down the strawberry line on Wednesday, despite its name, lots of people blackberrying
but I think most people prefer iPhones these days

[emmylou25]

We didn't go blackberrying as kids, although we used to go to pick your own farms for strawberries & raspberries. We also used to go conkering down 'Conker Alley'.

However, now I'm living on a farm, we've got lots of hedgerows and last year I did 3 afternoons out blackberrying with one of my nephews. I had a whole freezer full of blackberries by the end of it, and have made lots of apple/blackberry crumble throughout the year. Lush!

Went out this Saturday to blackberry pick taking one of the dogs with me, but was thwarted by the best hedge being in a field that my OH had forgotten to tell me had his cattle in. He assured me they'd leave me alone, but curious as they are, they of course came over (thinking I was bringing them food probably). Fine when it was the 3 in that field, but when the other 30+ turned up to see what was going on, I decided to make a retreat. Didn't particularly want to turn my back on them, while I picked berries from the hedge! So only 8 blackberries later, and we won't be having blackberries over the next year as I don't think the cattle are being moved from the field until after the blackberries will be off.

[whitetiger1518]

Always went Brambling (none of this nonsense Blackberrrying - that is just a supermarket wheeze to make you pay for what you can get for free! ) when we were kids.

We still do!! I'm looking forward to plenty of Brambles at the end of September. My extended family go en masse - as a result we end up with loads of: Bramble Crumble, Pies, serve with Cream, Ice Cream, Fromage Frais, versions of Cranachen, Jam, Jelly .... oh drat, I'm making myself hungry

PS any new recipes always welcome

Cheers Whitetiger

[Gav]

We used to do it loads as kids and there was always plenty for us to take home a few bucket-loads, as well as full stomachs!
There does seem to be a general fear nowadays about eating things that grow in the wild rather than in the supermarket fridges.

[whitetiger1518]

Picking your spot carefully, and a good wash for everything when you get home - should stop any bugs in their tracks...Anyway if we don't eat the odd germ, then we would have no immunity!

WT

[HelenB]

Picking your spot carefully, and a good wash for everything when you get home - should stop any bugs in their tracks...Anyway if we don't eat the odd germ, then we would have no immunity!

I must admit, I do wonder why people pick blackberries right next to really busy roads - surely they taste of fuel

Anyway, apparently if you wash the fruit in a bowl of water with a couple pinches of salt added it helps with the little beastie eviction