How to pick and cook blackberries

Good Food Blog

What is RSS?

Posted at 12:02PM, 02 August 2011 by Hannah Williams - Editor, bbcgoodfood.com

Few things sum up British summertime better than a scramble through a blackberry bush clutching an empty tub of margarine. And, provided you're not trespassing on private property, blackberry picking is a great way of sourcing a cheap summer pud.

A fierce frost followed by a mild summer has seen blackberries hitting the hedgerows earlier than ever this year...

A fierce frost followed by a mild summer has seen blackberries hitting the hedgerows earlier than ever this year but crumbles and pies aside what can you do with the bountiful berry? Here are our top tips for handling all that free fruit...

Choose carefully

Like many things in life, the most successful blackberries will be ones that stand out from the crowd. They should be shiny and firm when you pick them though fruits do seem to vary in flavour from place to place. Seasoned blackberry hunters often have favourite bushes whose harvest they prefer to any neighbouring bush. As you can try before you 'buy' shop around to find what suits you, avoiding bushes by busy roads or fruit low enough to be 'watered' by passing dogs.

When to pick

Though they're a little early this year, blackberries are normally at their best at the end of August to September. Legend has it any picked after the end of this month are best avoided as the devil is said to have peed on them. We're not sure this is true but by October the damp weather will have certainly soiled many crops.

Where to pick

Grown in abundance in all manner of hedgerows across the country blackberries are not restricted to rural areas but regularly spotted along canal paths and across wasteland in towns and cities alike.

How to collect

Although it's hard to resist raiding each hedgerow try not to stack loads on top of each other or they'll bruise and squash before you get them home. Use a couple containers if you want to pick lots of berries though it's always good to leave plenty for other pickers too.

How to store

Try to keep them dry when storing and they should last for two to three days. If refrigerating let them come to room temperature before eating, as they'll taste much juicier that way. Don't worry if you've picked more than you can handle, blackberries are easily frozen and can be baked straight from the freezer with no need to defrost. Freeze on a tray in a single layer so they don't all squish together or puree them first then freeze the liquid in a bag or ice cube tray.

What to cook

Pies and crumbles are the obvious choice but blackberries also taste delicious served with savoury meats. Blackberry sauce tastes great with venison, or serve the berries whole with pigeon and other game birds. Add blackberry coulis to ice cream , pancakes and jelly or layer with meringue for a show-stopping pud. Finally, hit the bottle by mashing blackberries lightly with sugar, before sieving into a bottle then topping up with brandy, vodka or gin.

Browse all our blackberry recipes for more inspiration and let us know your top tips on where to find them and how to cook them, below.

Comments

sarah

3 August 2011, 6:56PM
sarah

Interesting article, but how can anyone write about blackberries without mention of the dreaded maggot. I have found that the best way to get rid of them is to open freeze a layer of blackberries which are easy to pick over, and to remove them before putting the fruit in a bag or box for storing. I am interested to know what you must do to avoid picking blackberries with maggots in them in the first place. Sometimes I find a batch has no maggots at all and then the next batch has loads. Anybody studied the little pests. Fovourite is still blackberry crumble!

Flag as inappropriate

Please let us know your name and the reason you find the above comment inappropriate.

Your name: Reason:
kay

3 August 2011, 7:02PM
kay

To get rid of the dreaded maggot, put the blackberries into a bowl of salted water and the maggots rise to the top, then rinse the blackberries and use as wanted. Hope this helps

Flag as inappropriate

Please let us know your name and the reason you find the above comment inappropriate.

Your name: Reason:
port picks

3 August 2011, 7:26PM
port picks

I didn't know that tip, thanks Kay! We like to make a compote of apples, plums, or any soft fruit in the fruit bowl needing used and when left to cool spoon over ice cream or on a pavlova base (if drained)

Flag as inappropriate

Please let us know your name and the reason you find the above comment inappropriate.

Your name: Reason:
Elaine

3 August 2011, 8:08PM
Elaine

Lovely surprise to find blackberries all along the river bank when I was out walking last Saturday. Great to find food for free. Picked so many that had enough for a generous apple & blackberry crumble, then froze the other half. Good tip about the maggots!

Flag as inappropriate

Please let us know your name and the reason you find the above comment inappropriate.

Your name: Reason:
chester

4 August 2011, 9:01AM
chester

We have many blackberry bushes over the fields nearby but very few people actually pick them. Most years we collect about 30lb for jam plus extra for the freezer for pies/crumbles over about four weeks. We never seem to have a problem with squashing them or maggots so we must be very lucky. We are not being greedy as the blackberries eventually go mouldy on the bushes as they do not get picked. There are even more bushes this year so it should be a bumper year.

Flag as inappropriate

Please let us know your name and the reason you find the above comment inappropriate.

Your name: Reason:
Sara212

4 August 2011, 9:58PM
Sara212

We have a blackberry bush in our back garden. I've never really eaten blackberries before but thought I would give them a try. I picked them on a night and left them to soak in cold water to clean them. In the morning I drained them and dried them with some kitchen roll and had them with some greek yoghurt for my breakfast. It was yum!!

Flag as inappropriate

Please let us know your name and the reason you find the above comment inappropriate.

Your name: Reason:
tydrawirafon

4 August 2011, 11:20PM
tydrawirafon

The blackberries in our field seem to have a disease - the leaves are mottled black and the berries are just not forming (any ideas?). Anyway we do have another source by our reservior- I love an old family recipe for bramble jelly. It keeps for ages and is soooo good on porridge in winter :o) After washing those bugs away - put in a big pan and just cover with water you need about 8lbs of berries to make it worth your while. Bring to a simmer for until all the juice is out of the berries then strain through a cloth. To make the jelly dissolve 1lb sugar for every pint of juice (so not for diabetics!) slowly bring to boil to dissolve the sugar then roll boil for a good few minutes and test for a set - bottle and enjoy. I always add the juice of a lemon too and have never needed pectin or jam sugar.

Flag as inappropriate

Please let us know your name and the reason you find the above comment inappropriate.

Your name: Reason:
Barbara

14 August 2011, 7:37PM
Barbara

I always add crab apple juice to blackberry juice(made the same way as blackberry juice) and also 1 lb sugar to 1 pint of juice. Does make a lovely jam with good keeping quality.Also freeze crab apple juice in half pints, it can be added to any other fruit when making jam and works very well with strawberries and any fruit low in pectin

Flag as inappropriate

Please let us know your name and the reason you find the above comment inappropriate.

Your name: Reason:
Nesta

15 August 2011, 3:23PM
Nesta

I like to stir blackberries into my breakfast porridge, they just start to collapse from the heat and add a wonderful flavour

Flag as inappropriate

Please let us know your name and the reason you find the above comment inappropriate.

Your name: Reason:
Susie Spragg

16 August 2011, 7:16AM
Susie Spragg

Some excellent tips here. Could you just remind folk that they should perhaps refrain from picking berries from down low. Dogs tend to "lift their legs" and foxes eat them from the bush, so not so healthy/1

Flag as inappropriate

Please let us know your name and the reason you find the above comment inappropriate.

Your name: Reason:
Odelle

19 August 2011, 6:49AM
Odelle

Maggots! Soak in salt water,rinse,lay to dry on kitchen paper. Blackberry & Bramley Apple Pie's my favourite made with rich, all butter sweet pastry...Delicious served with double cream. Avoid 'soggy bottoms' sprinkle blackberries with 2-3 teasp. of dry arrowroot or cornflour, eggwash pie bottom, leave to dry before adding filling, bake on pre-heated oven tray, enjoy!

Flag as inappropriate

Please let us know your name and the reason you find the above comment inappropriate.

Your name: Reason:
HelenM

19 August 2011, 10:29PM
HelenM

being in the east of England our blackberries seem to be a little behind - they are starting to ripen and it looks like there will be a bumper crop in the meadows opposite me. have made loads od jam with all the cherry plums and greengages that grow wild everywhere in the village so now gearing up for the blackberries to come!! Does anyone have any recipes for blackberry wine?

Flag as inappropriate

Please let us know your name and the reason you find the above comment inappropriate.

Your name: Reason:

Your binder

Here are three other great reasons to sign up:

You get an online binder, where you can store all your favourite recipes and create menus.
You can add your own recipes to this site for others to try; plus, rate and make comments on recipes, and share your views on our blog.
You can sign up for our weekly newsletter (sent out on Wednesdays) - it's packed with recipes, special offers and competitions.

Search Good Food

Keywords

Refine your recipe search

Search filter options

BBC Good Food

Primary Navigation

Good Food Blog