Q re: Blackberries..

sporina

Love picking blackberries and the nostalgia associated with the activity etc..

Q - whats the story with the season?

I got loads in August.. do they continue to bud/grow again - say after some hav been picked/battered by the rain? Or how does it work?

I really ain't got a clue - you can laugh if you find my Qs really stupid ekk..

But I understand that the reason can last till end of September..

Basically - I wanna know will I be able to get more this season

TIA

Danzy

If we get another warm weak the hard ones should ripen.

Some years it looks like a bumper crop and only a few ripen.

RainInSummer

Yeah you'll have no bother getting more.

bored_newbie

This year they seem to be more abundant than most. I've been growing the thornless variety around the garden.

One plant is about four years old and produced the biggest berries I've ever seen.

The one thing I'm not sure about is the pruning. I need to do some research, if anyone has any tips, please post them.

nigeldaniel

I picked a large 1lt jug of them myself 10 days ago with the plan to make jam. The jam-making operation was somewhat half a success. Still have not managed to get the jam to set right. I do have a small few plants managed myself in the garden but tend to pick wild growing ones for the jam. The first 2 weeks of September are usually when I pick them up.

Mundo7976

Made some lovely jam & a berry/apple crumble from picking at the weekend.

I notice loads of fairly big red berries on many of the bushes. What are the chances of them ripening in the next while?

ednwireland

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/119649971#Comment_119649971

you generally need the sugar with pectin (or pectin in a bottle) to add to make it set. it's why you quite often get blackberry and apple were apples add the pectin.

Exiled1

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/119649971#Comment_119649971

Remember to pick them from a height above 3ft.... just in case....

Best jam recipe:

.8kg berries, .5kg cooking apples cubed small, 1kg jam sugar, juice of two lemons. Add lemon halves to cooking pot, remove near finish.

Be sure the temp reaches 105C.... otherwise the jam won't set.

Should get you 6 jars.

nigeldaniel

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/119651837#Comment_119651837

I had no idea about the temperature... that's where I think I must have been going wrong. Thanks for the information.

sporina

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/119651837#Comment_119651837

why above 3ft?

Exiled1

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/119664523#Comment_119664523

You may wish to avoid the possibility of an animal or person pe*ing on them.

sporina

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/119664590#Comment_119664590

i wash em so hey ho..

Graces7

Wild blackberries this year have been superabundant and so have rose hips. Preserving is in full swing.

Pissy Missy

Loads of them grow by our house, I use to love eating them. Then one day just as I was about to put one in my mouth, I saw this miniature centipede looking creature in my blackberry🤢🤮 I never ate one by the house again. Make sure to clean your blackberries very well before eating them

Graces7

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/119665112#Comment_119665112

Just grubs that rely on wild fruit to survive. Easy to see and remove.

SouthWesterly

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/119665112#Comment_119665112

Free protein with one of your 5 portions of fruit and veg 🤣

Jim_Hodge

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/119675940#Comment_119675940

You can make teas, syrups, jellies, and jams with them. A good source of vitamin c, a, e and b-complex plus several minerals.

Just be aware that some people many experience nausea, vomiting, headaches, heartburn, and an inability to sleep due to related allergies.

Have a Google for some recipes.

looksee

There are some little hairs around the seeds in rosehips that will cause upset - you need to scoop them out with the seeds then rinse to make sure you have got rid of them all. If you know what you are doing you can make syrup and jelly without removing them first because the straining process will get the hairs - use doubled fine muslin and don't squeeze it. The hairs are/used be used to make itching powder, you really don't want to ingest them.