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Blackberries |
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Did you also spend your childhood looking forward to the beginning of autumn, so you could go blackberry picking?
I vividly remember being packed in the car, complete with bags, tupperware pots and long-sleeved tops, to go the nearest blackberry hedges. I used to love spending the morning picking juicy black berries from the brambles and sneakily eating as many as I could, before mum found out.
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Nowadays I'm lucky enough to have miles of blackberry hedges just a few minutes' walk from home. So the annual blackberry fest comes in the form of a dog and toddler expedition.
Wild blackberries are truly delicious, and there are so many great recipes you can use them for.
Go straight to:
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About Blackberries |
Blackberries have been eaten for many thousands of years. In fact, archaologists have found traces of blackberries in sites dating back to neolithic man. The Ancient Greeks used to prescribe them for gout and other ailments. They have long been used both for food and as a clothing dye.
It's easy to spot wild blackberry pickers, as they'll spend the next few days with dark purple finger tips!
In season from late August to October, fresh, wild blackberries are naturally organic, as long as they're not near a field that grows non-organic crops.
Supermarket blackberries rarely taste as good. They are usually blander in flavour and somehow keep for a week, when the ones you pick yourself go mouldy after a day or two. Go figure that one out!
Blackberries are considered to be a superfood. (Yes, yet another one!)
They are high in antioxidants and are a good source of Vitamin E and Vitamin C.
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How To Choose |
The most important thing is to use them as quickly as you can after picking.
Some of the blackberries we picked last weekend went mouldy after less than 24 hours. So if you don't have time to use them, it's best not to pick them.
(Read about freezing blackberries).
Avoid blackberries from near busy roads as they will be higher in pollutants than those from protected hedgerows.
Only pick ripe blackberries, which will come away from the bush easily, without having to pull.
We also have a household rule: only pick a fraction of the blackberries on each bush.
Why?
Two reasons:
- Leave plenty for the birds and other animals.
After all, it's really their harvest and they need the fruit to get ready for winter.
- Leave some for others.
Lots of people enjoy blackberry picking and there's usually plenty to go around. Yet there's nothing more disappointing than to find the bushes have been stripped bare. There are plenty of blackberries to go round, so pick a few from lots of bushes, rather than lots from a single bush.
One more tip:
- Don't pick the bottom ones.
Our blackberry bushes are along footpaths regularly used by cattle. The lower berries are treated to a regular rinse with mud and cow dung. Rain might wash off the visible traces, but I'm not sure I'd fancy eating them!
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How To Store |
Blackberries will keep for about 24 hours after picking. Some varieties keep longer, but mildew and mould can start to form quickly.
Blackberries picked on a warm, sunny day keep longer than those picked on a damp morning.
Blackberries do freeze well, though they lose their texture on defrosting and are then better used for cooked recipes.
The easiest way to freeze them is to lay them in a single layer on a tray / baking shee in the freezer. When they are frozen, put them in a plastic bag and seal them in the freezer. This means they won't stick together.
I tend not to wash them before freezing, or this turns them into a block of blackberry ice. Instead, defrost them at room temperature and then wash carefully before using. |
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How To Use |
Blackberries can either be used raw, in fruit salads or as garnishes, or cooked.
Depending on the sweetness, I love to just munch them raw, as a snack.
Different brambles produce different blackberries. Some are strongly flavoured and very tart. Others are milder and sweeter. The sweeter varieties don't always have enough flavour after cooking, so can be better raw.
The tarter blackberries work well in jams, sauces and other sweetened recipes.
The most important thing is to wash them thoroughly first. Do this by soaking them in a large bowl of water. Swish them around and watch the bits (and sometimes bugs!) float to the surface. Skim this off and drain the blackberries well.
Did you know...?
Blackberries are a good source of Vitamin C and Vitamin E, as well as fibre, meaning they'll give you energy as well as a vitamin boost. |
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Suggested Recipes |
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| Apple & Blackberry Crumble |
Apple and Blackberry crumble is a definitive autumn dessert. In this version, you save even more time by not peeling the apples or pre-cooking the fruit.
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| Blackberry & Apple Syrup |
This is a delicious way of preserving blackberries and cooking apples. It keeps well in sterilised jars or frozen in pots in the freezer.
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| Blackberry & Coconut Slice |
All you need is some dessicated coconut, cake ingredients and a bowl of blackberries from the hedgerows. It doesn't matter if they're a bit tart - it adds to the flavour.
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| Bramble & Apple Jelly |
Go straight back to your childhood with this recipe, when you've been out picking wild blackberries and apples.
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| Elderberry & Almond Pie |
Elderberry and almond pie might sound like an odd combination... but it really works. Also works well with fresh blackberries.
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| Quick Blackberry Sauce |
This blackberry sauce recipe has to win a prize for being quick, easy and delicious.
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Got one? Send us your blackberry recipe!
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