Blackberries, Food for Free

Blackberries are one of our most popular foods for free, most of us remember going blackberry picking as a child but we seem to have forgotten it when we grew up.

 

 

Next time you are out and about in the countryside or going past any green space, keep your eyes opened for blackberry bushes. Blackberry bushes are easy to spot once you have identified them. One of their most identifiable traits is the thorns that extend from their branches – do be careful!

It is important to remember where you have seen the blackberry bushes so that you can pick the wonderful berries that they produce. The berries usually ripen on the blackberry bushes in late summer; August and September are the prime months.

According to folklore legend, on the 10 th October the Devil pees on the blackberries and they become unfit to eat. Undoubtedly they are past their best by then and often full of small worms so not so palatable to eat as blackberries from earlier in the season.

They blossom with fragrant white flowers in the spring. Blackberry bushes are located throughout all of the UK and are also found in many other countries including North America. They produce the best berries when located in the full sun, however you can find them located in shady areas also.

The requirements of blackberries are similar to raspberries and sometimes you can find self-seeded wild raspberries in the same location, which is a bonus

Although wild blackberry bushes produce smaller berries than the cultivated blackberry varieties you plant from a nursery, the wild berries are usually more flavourful.

When picking blackberries, remember the dark purple juices will not only stain your hands but also your clothes. In olden days blackberry juice was used as a dye.

The fruit from blackberry bushes used to be used to cure many ailments. The berries were especially used for respiratory ailments and coughing.

Many people who like to produce homemade wines also use blackberries to produce a rich coloured sweet wine. There's a basic Blackberry Wine Recipe and a Blackberry & Elderberry Wine recipe on my Low Cost Living web site.

The overall favourite use for these sweet delicious berries is blackberry jam. They also make a delicious pie combined with apples, if you do not mind the seeds.

If you are thinking of placing blackberry bushes on your property it is best to place them along the perimeter where there is not a lot of traffic. This is to avoid getting scratched by the sharp long thorns. You can actually use blackberries in combination with other plants such as hawthorn (that also produces berries) to make a hedge no-one will get through unscathed at least.

The blackberry bushes should be pruned after they have finished producing fruit. The fruit-bearing stems should be trimmed back to about 18 inches above the ground. Trimming the blackberry bushes is done to prevent them from getting the taller runners that tend to have more thorns than berries on them.

If you are going to plant several blackberry bushes make sure to allow for picking so that you do not get as scratched when picking the berries.

Regardless of how close the bushes are to each other picking blackberries is a task that requires wearing a long sleeved shirt.

One of the problems with blackberry plants is people commonly can not get the berries when they are ripe because so many other animals and birds get to the fruit before it is fully ripened. The ones that do reach their fullest potential are often out of reach, as well.

The blackberry bushes also have an extensive life span so you will want to keep this in mind when choosing a location to place them.

About the Author

D T Phillips not only enjoys growing his own food but also eating what he finds for free in the countryside.

From the Allotment Shop - Fruit Trees, Bushes, Seeds & Plants

Blackberry Helen

Large, firm, superbly flavoured fruit produced in abundance from early July. Excellent eaten fresh, frozen or made into jam. Supplied as 1 year old pot grown plants.

Price Guide: £17.95- More Information from Suttons Seeds

Blackberry Loch Ness

This thornless Blackberry has established itself as the most popular in the U.K. with commercial growers. It is high yielding (up to 3.6kg [8 lb] per bush) producing large, very firm, glossy black conical berries from mid-August until first frosts. The flavour is excellent. Produces short, upright canes - ideal for the smaller garden. Planting distance 1.5m-2m

Price Guide: £17.95- More Information from Dobies

Blackberry Navaho

Huge, juicy late season blackberries! An outstanding late-season blackberry variety, producing big clusters of large, sweet, juicy black fruit. They're delicious eaten fresh from the bush, as well as for cooking and in jams and jellies. An erect habit and thornless canes make them easy to manage and a pleasure to pick! Container grown rather than field grown, producing stronger plants of superior quality.

Price Guide: £17.95- More Information from Dobies

Berry Collection

Blackberries and Tayberries are the easiest of all the berry fruits to grow in the UK. They are very tolerant to site and soil conditions and will even produce a reasonable crop if grown in semi shade once 2 years old.

Price Guide: £18.99- More Information from Thompson & Morgan

Blackberry : Karaka Black

These mammoth-sized, dark black shiny berries are firm and easy to pick, and are some of the largest fruits we have ever seen.

Price Guide: £11.99- More Information from Thompson & Morgan

Blackberry : Loch Maree

The newest arrival from the impressive Loch series. Loch Maree is the first variety to have unique double pink flowers adding to its beauty. Its thornless plants produce an excellent crop of super sweet, juicy berries.

Price Guide: £11.99- More Information from Thompson & Morgan

Blackberry : Loch Ness

The perfect variety for the smaller garden, as it grows on short upright thornless canes. A heavy cropper capable of producing up to 3.6kg (8lb) of fruit per bush of excellent flavour, firm glossy black conical berries.

Price Guide: £11.99- More Information from Thompson & Morgan

Blackberry Ouachita Super Sweet

Exceptional mid-season variety blackberry! The latest and greatest cultivar from the University of Arkansas. Plants are erect and virtually thornless for easy picking, and the berries (which are produced in abundance) are not only extremely large, but also deliciously sweet flavoured!

Price Guide: £17.95- More Information from Suttons Seeds

Blackberry : Apache

Huge, super-sweet berries about the size of bantams' eggs and weighing up to 11g each are produced on this mid-season variety from Arkansas. The thornless, erect plants of Blackberry Apache make for easy growing in the garden. Fabulous variety.

Price Guide: £11.99- More Information from Thompson & Morgan

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