Friday 15 August 2014

The Lost Art of Blackberry Picking








I went down to the woods to pick blackberries yesterday after spotting some there at the weekend when taking the grandchildren for a walk.  We strolled along the boardwalk, our son picking a few blackberries for our granddaughter.  She popped them in her mouth and asked for more.  There were beautiful ripe blackberries right by the path ready to be picked, but they were still there four days later.  Nobody had picked them.

As I slowly made my way through the woods clutching two bowls (yes I was a little over optimistic)  it brought back so many memories of my childhood and when my children were little.  Blackberry season was when the whole family went out to pick the berries.  As soon as you were old enough to hold a bowl you were roped in.  First to follow along with a bowl for the picker, then when judged old enough to actually tackle the brambles to pick your own.  Finding those that were ripe and maggot free was a skill you soon learned.  The favourite place for picking was my uncles farm.  We would circle the fields filling bowl after bowl.    My cousins would be eating as many as they picked, but not me.  I really don't like the seeds, also I remember biting into one before realising it had a maggot in it, I can't get that thought out of my head even now when picking.

When my children were old enough I took them blackberry picking in the lanes surrounding our house.  We had to go as soon as the blackberries were ripe or someone would have got to them before us.  They would be stored in the freezer to make blackberry pies through the winter.

This season I haven't seen anyone blackberry picking.  There are many houses where I now live, but the free nutritious blackberries remain unpicked. How times have changed.  The berries were brought home and washed thoroughly taking special care to look out for any little creatures that may be lurking.  I made one and a bit jars of jam, which I will eat despite not liking the seeds.  I love free food!





Just noticed my spelling, blackerry jam!


 I would love to learn more about foraging, as blackberries are the only thing I pick because they are so recognisable I can't go wrong. Despite grandparents and uncles having farms I am a townie.  OH grew up on a farm so is more knowledgable about these things, pointing out wild strawberries on our walk last night.

I will leave you with the beautiful sunset from our walk





What 'free food' do you pick?

Chickpea xx

Welcome to A Heron's View :)

17 comments:

  1. You are so right. Several years ago when L was 6 I took a friend of his out blackberrying and was astonished when the child didn't know what a blackberry was! M makes a delicious blackberry icecream which keeps us going all summer long. I will post the recipe again this year as it's dead easy to make and is dinner-party worthy. We do a lot of foraging- we're having mushrooms freshly picked from ma's field this morning for lunch as it happens and yesterday I made a walnut cake from a friend's walnuts. Your jam looks lovely :-)

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  2. Thank you CT, I will look forward to your blackberry ice cream recipe. I have never made ice cream, it is something I have been meaning to do.

    I had some of the jam this morning, it taste good despite the seeds :)

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  3. Well, just today I picked some tomatoes from a neighbour's garden I am looking after. And an egg, since I had to feed the chickens too. xxx

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  4. I always pick blackberries... And plums and damsons which are in abundence around these parts. If I'm lucky there are sometimes cherries in June and I've even been known to pick mushrooms on the field behind our house. I love food for free!

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  5. I love to forage....blackberries, plums, apples, hazlenuts, sloes, rosehips, elderflower and elderberry, raspberries, cherries - all yummy and all free :)I'm a little cautious with mushrooms though. I spotted a walnut tree last week...I'll be keeping my eye on that :) Your jam looks fabby!

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  6. I love blackberries and can not stand the pips so I make jelly, I use chopped apples and the pith of a lemon in the mix and get a really good set.

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  7. I can't forage as I can't stand for long enough but other people direct surplus garden produce my way so I don't miss out on free food.

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  8. I wish I could do more foraging where I live. I think it's too dry for much to grow wild here. The things I see a lot of aren't right for eating, such as those little nightshade tomato things, but I love to spot them on a walk. Your jam must be delicious, you'll enjoy that taste of summer later on.

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  9. I like the name blackerry jam. I may have to skip passed the icecream recipe as I have absolutely no will power, not even a titchy bit ;)

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  10. I like the name blackerry jam. I may have to skip passed the icecream recipe as I have absolutely no will power, not even a titchy bit ;)

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  11. We used to pick what seemed like masses of blackberries when I was a child. I don't pick them anymore because we don't live anywhere where they are left wild to pick. I hope that you enjoy your blackerry jam! xx

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  12. It is good to see that many of you are still able to get out and find wild free food. I will enjoy my blackerry jam later in the year, it will remind me of our amazing summer :)

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  13. We always go picking and so do many others round here but I do know what you mean. It's so sad. We gather wild raspberries and whortleberries too. x

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  14. I've never heard of whortlberries Em

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  15. There may be a lost art of blackberry picking but thats not too bad, it means more for the thrifty foragers, but I know what you mean. When we were kids it was great fun to go down the lanes picking them and always looked forward the lovely jam Mum would make. I tend to make jelly nowadays as I cant really have the seeds. I am on the lookout for the sloes ready for some sloe gin :-)

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  16. We are surrounded by blackberry bushes unfortunately none of us like them which irritates me as it free food going to waste! Glad you make the best of yours. x

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  17. It's been years since we picked blackberries. The ones near us are so small and probably full of pollution from the traffic in the lane that no one bothers with them. I would love to forage for mushrooms but don't trust myself to get it right. I don't want to poison us :-z
    I have just found your blog and am loving it. Cornwall is our favourite place to visit so thank you for sharing your wonderful photographs x

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