It’s that time of year again, the first blackberries are ripening. We’ll be making crumble, also I’m going to give blackberry smoothies a try, I bought a nutribullet at Christmas and still haven’t used it.
Wild blackberries knock spots off the little punnets from the shops, and they’re free!
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I have a huge wild blackberry bush in my garden and am looking forward to seeing how much fruit it produces. (quite a lot judging from the flowering) I had to cut some branches back because they were spidering all over the grass, but I made cordage (twine) from them, so all is not lost. I’ll use it for something like jewelry, or tying little bags. I have a little blender as well so I’ll make smoothies or blackberry muffins! 
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Blackberry muffins…oh yes!
I love the way the fruit bleeds into the muffin, you get a similar effect with blueberries.
I’m intrigued about the cordage, I might have to do a little research. A few years back I was helping my son with his Duke of Edinburgh award.
We got involved in a little amateur bushcraft.
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Doing the Duke of Edinburgh is great for kids, I think. So many new experiences. I enjoy a little bit of bushcraft now and again…more so now I have the resources on my doorstep. As far as fruit ripening and flowering plants goes…I think up here, we are about a month behind England (usually anyway - who knows now with the weird weather we get!)
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I grow Oregon Thornless against an open trellis in the garden. They are prolific fruiters and a joy to pick being thornless, not quite turning black yet but there should be a glut in a couple of week’s time if they survive the coming heatwave…
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The wild ones aren’t ready down yer till normally mid August , lots of flowers still on the ones around alfs walk.
Make sure you harvest them all before Michaelmas (28th Sept) !
Archangel Michael evicted Lucifer from heaven on that day and threw him into a blackberry patch. Lucifer was so upset - and very sore - he cursed the blackberry patch - then spat, urinated and defaecated all over it. Therefore it is considered to be bad luck to harvest/eat blackberries after Michaelmas Day.
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I have happy memories of Blackberry picking in the hedgerow , We took our children and then our Grandchildren .,
I use to make Blackberry Crumble, and if i found a wild Apple tree it would be Apple and Blackberry Pie .
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I’ll bear it in mind 
rushes out to chat to the blackberry bush and tell it to hurry up
He left the maggot as his calling card .
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My granny used to make us go and get her blackberries for bramble jelly, it was like boot camp! Boy, was she bossy, sergeant majors had nothing on her when she was deploying the troops 
The wild ones here aren’t ready yet, don’t forget to only pick above dog pee line!
I do bramble jelly, apple and blackberry pie and blackberry fool usually
But this year I was thinking of having a go at blackberry gin and blackberry vinegar 
Oooh hello good idea, welcome to my world! 
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Maybe the heat wave will help to get them nice and ripe Barry.
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My son grows thornless blackberries… they make great jam.
the wild blackberries are looking sad frizzled up , lack of rain .
Tastes delicious!
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Really?? Have you had some (clearly you have…
)
rushes out again to blackberry bush to put netting over it to stop the birds from eating the berries
also considers security
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Made some last year - strangely - it doesn’t last long - can’t think why 
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@PixieKnuckles - here is the recipe I used -
Ingredients
350g blackberries (fresh or frozen)
150g sugar
700ml bottle of gin
Method
Tip the blackberries and sugar into a 1.5-litre sterilised jar. Pour over the gin, seal the jar and swirl around to dissolve the sugar. Store in a cool, dark place and turn the jar once a day for the first week.
After two-three weeks, strain the gin through a sieve. Pour the gin into bottles, and label. The gin will keep its colour for a few months and will be drinkable for up to a year. Use the infused blackberries in a cocktail like a bramble, or in a trifle. Yummy!
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I was kindof hoping this would get posted! 
I didn’t like to ask, but I would have eventually.
Ok so this sounds like a stupid question, but
which way? Round and round or upside down?
P.S I’m not wasting this in a trifle
I turned it upside down and back again a couple of times.
Not the gin - just the blackberries after you have strained them - good in a trifle - delicious with ice cream!
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